CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — Anyone who missed the "Great American Eclipse" as it passed over Missouri in 2017 will have another chance to see the celestial event this year.
The 2024 total solar eclipse is scheduled to pass over the southern areas of Missouri and Illinois on April 8, but only some areas are in the eclipse's "path of totality," or the areas that will see a true, full eclipse rather than a partial one.
Cape Girardeau was one such city on that path in 2017 and will get a repeat experience this year.
NASA astronomers estimate the moon will start obscuring Cape's view of the sun at 12:42 p.m. on April 8, according to the administration's eclipse tracker. It will continue to cover the sun until it completely obscures it at around 1:58:17 p.m.
The duration of totality will last four minutes and 8 seconds, NASA said. Totality will end at 2:02:25 p.m. and the moon will no longer partially obscure the sun at around 3:17 p.m.
Whether the eclipse will be visible to people on the ground is a different issue. NASA estimates an 88% chance of cloud cover and a 30% chance of rain on April 8 as of April 2.
"At least for April 8, our climatology tells us that we've got 50 to 60% cloud coverage," 5 On Your Side Meteorologist Garry Frank previously said. "There have been a few April 8s in past years where you haven't been able to see the sun completely, and right now ... you've got a 40% chance that it's going to be clear enough to see the eclipse."
Current forecasts for April 8 are still very early, and may change as the date gets closer.
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