SUPERCELL WEATHER for TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE APRIL 8 2024

[Olivier Staiger]

Hi,
after a long long absence, I am back. So sorry.... ;-)
Glad to see Stormtrack is still alive. Awesome. Makes me feel 20 years younger , hahahaha...
OK, here is the thing. I am a stormchaser ( have chased the U.S. plains since Y2K , guided/driven for some tours for ETT and Cyclone Tours long ago, now mostly chasing italian waterspouts ) and aurorahunter ... and also eclipse chaser, saw about 30 solar eclipses so far, including one in Antarctica and anotherone after an icebreaker cruise-expedition to the north pole... Of which 13 TOTAL solar eclipses.
Now : As you certainly know there will be a total solar eclipse in parts of the U.S. on April 8, 2024. From TX to the northeast.
My goal is to try to see the total eclipse with a distant supercell or tornado.
Quite a challenge.... but I've seen enough total solar eclipses to just go for the routine.
So, I live in Switzerland, will fly to Iceland early april 2024 , stopover for a couple of days aurorahunting ( my other gig www.aurorafiddler.com ) , then fly to Denver and drive to TX to ... where ? well... Anywhere ... anywhere within the path of totality but provided I also get a supercell or ideally a tornadic storm or at least some spectacular storm/lightning , on April 8, 2024 around 1:34 PM CDT for central TX, anywhere between Del Rio/Mexican border to SanAntonio to Austin to Dallas and to Arkansas... wherever there will be storms in the early afternoon of april 8 .
so, let's get it rolling... find me a storm within the path of totality.... I will share lots of links related to the eclipse in further comments.
Thanks for your tips, ideas, suggestions.
Wanna join , tag along ?
Let's go chase that solar eclipse decently ... with a storm ! Imagine lightning below the total eclipse. Imagine sprites next to the solar eclipse. Imagine a tornado below the total eclipse. No composite image, no photoshop. Just one direct image , video , from the right place at the right time.

 

[Olivier Staiger]

a few important links for the eclipse in TX and the eclipse-day weather potential :

EclipseWise - Total Solar Eclipse of 2024 Apr 08

This page is part of the EclipseWise.com Website. It contains Predictions, information and links for the Total Solar Eclipse of 2024 Apr 08 .

www.eclipsewise.com

ECLIPSE WEATHER : Total Solar Eclipse April 8, 2024 | Eclipsophile
PRECISE PATH OF TOTALITY Total Solar Eclipse of 2024 Apr 08

 

[Jeff Wright]

How uncanny that would be, to see a funnel pushed out into the open under a black sun.

 

[Olivier Staiger]

How uncanny that would be, to see a funnel pushed out into the open under a black sun.

composite image of a solar eclipse I saw long ago and a storm with waterspout I chased in Italy at night... OK the proportions are wrong, in wide angle the eclipse would be smaller, but you get the idea.

 

[Todd Lemery]

That’s going to be a pretty tall order to accomplish. If it was later in the day, say around 6:00, I’d say there would be a puncher’s chance to pull it off. With it being 1:30 ish I think the odds of pulling off are probably less than winning the powerball three weeks in a row.

 

[Mark Egan]

That’s usually after the morning MCS comes through, but before the late afternoon storms. Not impossible, though. Key thing is: how can we do it - WITHOUT getting anyone else in the path of totality clouded out

path of totality is at Mexico - USA - 2024 April 8 Total Solar Eclipse - Interactive Google Map - Xavier Jubier

At totality in TX, solar altitude is about 67 degrees and azimuth is 174 (almost due south)

If storm is directly below the eclipse, others in the path are clouded out (and maybe inside if there is a tornado warning!)

So: what about viewing from close to the edge of the path (shorter totality but more spectacular chromosphere (red layer of hydrogen gas) and Baily’s beads (sunlight shining through valleys on the moon) - then the storm itself is outside of the path, maybe a bit more to the SW or W: storm is not directly below the eclipse but within same field of view of human (or camera) vision

Example: eclipse is watched from around Brady, TX (2 min 15 sec totality); storm base is in open area N of Fort McKavett (~50 miles away)

Yes, people in that area may be clouded out but not many people in that area anyway and 99% partial - although rather impressive- is nowhere near as glorious as totality

Lightning during totality in a situation like that is not impossible- the odds of a tornado would be extremely low

 

[Jeff Wright]

Now, might the eclipse itself cause a cool air boundary---maybe break a nuclear cap?

 

[Jeff Duda]

Keep in mind that the maximum eclipse in Texas occurs pretty early in the afternoon, 1-2 PM, so the eclipse should have no impact on any afternoon convection that may occur that day.

 

[Randy Jennings]

Keep in mind that the maximum eclipse in Texas occurs pretty early in the afternoon, 1-2 PM, so the eclipse should have no impact on any afternoon convection that may occur that day.

I suspect that Jeff is correct and the eclipse will have no afternoon convection impacts, but it is early April, and early April often has marginal setups. In Dallas the full eclipse is from 1:40 to 1:44, but the partial partial begins at 12:23 and ends at 3:02. I know from the partial eclipse in fall 2023, that temps did drop very slightly during the eclipse, so if it is a marginal day for convection, that slight drop in temp might make a difference, but if I was betting I would bet with Jeff.