DAYTON, Ohio ( WDTN ) — We are leaving the cloudiest months of the year behind us. That’s good news for the total solar eclipse on April 8th, but experts warn there is no guarantee of clear skies for this once-in-a-lifetime event.
Historically on April 8th, the average cloud cover for the Miami Valley is around 70% through the day. Cloud cover is at its greatest in the winter, but will continue to dominate well into spring as a result of a wavy jet stream. This means more active weather, and increased cloud cover as a result of the sun angle.
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“Wintertime, the gradient between the poles and the equator is stronger because it remains hot at the equator, but it gets very cold at the North Pole. And so that causes the winds to increase in strength,” said Brian Coniglio, Meteorologist at the Wilmington National Weather Service.
Inversions are prevalent in the winter, where the temperature at the surface can get much colder than the air above the surface.