There are two things working against viewing the annular "Ring of Fire" eclipse this Saturday, October 14th in Kansas. For one, we are not in the path of the true "ring of fire" where the Moon will be fully in front of the Sun. In fact, only 61-66% of the Sun will be covered across Northeast Kansas, with lower amounts the farther northeast you head.
However, even with a partial eclipse, there is something amazing about seeing the sun in a crescent shape, but that brings up the second issue. We are expecting rounds of clouds to linger into the first half of the day on Saturday.
Right now, the hope is for partial clearing to see the disk of the sun partially covered. That's not the best set up, but this is still a very rare sight, so be watching--safely!
To properly view any solar eclipse that isn't in the period of totality, you have to have approved solar eclipse glasses. The cloud cover could thin up enough that with the clouds and the glasses, you might still get a decent look at the eclipsed Sun, but never try to do that without the help of safe viewing glasses.
Hopefully, the clouds clear out and this rare event will be able to be seen from Northeast Kansas. The eclipsing begins around 10:23am and ends at 1:19pm, so be prepared!
- 27 News Storm Track Chief Meteorologist Matt Miller
