April 2024

[DoctorMu]

Unfortunately, I booked a room north of San Antonio.

I experienced an eclipse in Greenville, NC back in the day. I had a 3 inch refractor telescope and my Dad and I set up a straight optical line (we removed the eyepiece) leading into a box to view the image. We set up on a staging area on campus under spectacular blue skies. With some trial and error we got the focal length just right. It was spectacular, and totality was an amazing experience. When it grew dark, all the animals and birds became suddenly silent. The corona's image on our "screen" or with the naked eye was ferociously dynamic and bright in the relative darkness. There was an astronomer with a 12 inch reflector nearby and we blew their image away. Damn miraculous. Unfortunately, there were no iPhones to take a 1000 photos. My Dad had a Voitlander camera, but I think he forgot to bring it.

This time looks like a potential bust from Eagle Pass through Indianapolis.

But we'll see blue skies as a tease for a few days before the next front and ULL.

It's like the one damn time I don't welcome rain in CLL and S. Central Texas.

[jasons2k]

Unfortunately, I booked a room north of San Antonio.

I experienced an eclipse in Greenville, NC back in the day. I had a 3 inch refractor telescope and my Dad and I set up a straight optical line (we removed the eyepiece) leading into a box to view the image. We set up on a staging area on campus under spectacular blue skies. With some trial and error we got the focal length just right. It was spectacular, and totality was an amazing experience. When it grew dark, all the animals and birds became suddenly silent. The corona's image on our "screen" or with the naked eye was ferociously dynamic and bright in the relative darkness. There was an astronomer with a 12 inch reflector nearby and we blew their image away. Damn miraculous. Unfortunately, there were no iPhones to take a 1000 photos. My Dad had a Voitlander camera, but I think he forgot to bring it.

This time looks like a potential bust from Eagle Pass through Indianapolis.

But we'll see blue skies as a tease for a few days before the next front and ULL.

It's like the one damn time I don't welcome rain in CLL and S. Central Texas.

Ditto that. For once I’d like to send the rain elsewhere.

Was that eclipse in May of 1984? That was the first one I experienced, in Savannah. I was still in elementary school.

We used a stack of photo slides cover our eyes. We didn’t know any better back then but my eyes are fine. This was 1984 so there were no “eclipse shades” to be ordered on Amazon. We simply made do with whatever we could find at the house at the time (imagine that kiddos!)

I miss slides and printed photos. The older I get I have more appreciation for physical media versus 1s and Os.

[Ptarmigan]

The May 30, 1984 solar eclipse was an annular solar eclipse.
https://eclipsewise.com/solar/SEprime/1 ... prime.html

NASA Solar Eclipse
https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/solar.html

[tireman4]

00
FXUS64 KHGX 020934
AFDHGX

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Houston/Galveston TX
434 AM CDT Tue Apr 2 2024

...New SHORT TERM, LONG TERM, MARINE, AVIATION...

.SHORT TERM...
(Today through Wednesday Night)
Issued at 433 AM CDT Tue Apr 2 2024

A few clusters of shra/tstms developing across the area in association
with some short wave energy riding along the incoming cold front.
This should come to an end (nw-se) as we head into mid morning
and the front moves off the coast. Not anticipating any severe wx,
but maybe a quick downpour or clap of thunder that gives a few
people an early wake up call.

Expect gradually clearing skies and drier wx filtering in as the
morning progresses. Could see a touch of scattered wrap around
cloud cover later this afternoon, but not much of significance.

Clear skies and pleasant wx anticipated tonight through Wed night
with seasonable temps prevailing. 47

&&

.LONG TERM...
(Thursday through Monday)
Issued at 433 AM CDT Tue Apr 2 2024

Slight ridging builds over the Southern Plains on Thursday, allowing
for clear skies and drier conditions to persist across the region.
Westerly flow aloft and rising 850mb temperatures should bring
slightly warmer conditions, with afternoon highs in the 70s to lower
80s. Onshore flow is expected to return during the afternoon/evening
hours as surface high pressure slides east of the state. This
southerly flow should usher in a warming trend over the next several
days as Gulf moisture is funneled into SE Texas. Cloud cover will
also begin to gradually increase heading into the weekend as our
next weather system approaching from the west.

This next weather system comes in the form of an upper level trough,
which should dig across the Great Basin/Four Corners on Saturday.
It`s associated surface low over the Central Plains/Rockies should
deepen in turn, with gusty winds developing across SE Texas as a 30-
40 knot LLJ forms overhead. Rain chances return Saturday evening,
increasing overnight into Sunday as PWs quickly rise to 1.0-1.6"
ahead of this system`s associated cold front. As it currently
stands, this front appears to slow/stall over SE Texas, bringing
cloudy skies and shower/storms over our area into the beginning of
next week.

...2024 Total Solar Eclipse...

On April 8th (Monday), a Total Solar Eclipse is expected to occur
over portions of the South-Central to Northeastern CONUS. Over
Southeast Texas/Houston, the eclipse should begin around 12:20 AM.
The partial eclipse will reach it`s peak around 1:40 PM, with the
Moon blocking 95% of the Sun. The eclipse will end around 3:00 PM.
Those attempting to view the eclipse should wear solar glasses [must
be ISO 12312-2 compliant] and use proper solar filters with any
cameras, binocular or telescopes.

With the stalled frontal boundary still forecasted to be over SE
Texas at this time, cloudy skies and shower/storms may result in
poor viewing condition for the eclipse over the Houston area. On a
more positive note, this stalled boundary may deprive portions of
Central/Northeast Texas of low level moisture. This could provide
better viewing conditions for those in the path of totality.

03

&&

.AVIATION...
(12Z TAF Issuance)
Issued at 433 AM CDT Tue Apr 2 2024

Combination of front and an upper level disturbance is producing
some scattered showers and isolated tstms across parts of the
area. Front will push off this coast by 9am. Look for clearing
skies as the morning progresses with VFR conditions prevailing. NW
winds will become gusty this afternoon and evening with frequent
gusts above 20kt likely. Speeds should settle around midnight for
most locations north of KHOU, but remain breezy at the coast all
night. 47

&&

.MARINE...
Issued at 433 AM CDT Tue Apr 2 2024

Patchy fog remains possible across portions of the nearshore waters
& bays this morning ahead of a cold front. This cold front will push
offshore later this morning, bringing isolated showers/storms as it
passes. North to northwesterly winds of 20 to 30 knots, gusts up to
35 knots, and seas of 5 to 8 feet are expected to develop this
evening in the wake of the front. Small Craft Advisories will be in
effect across all waters through Wednesday morning, with low water
levels possible across the bays during this early morning period.
Lighter winds and calmer seas will develop Wednesday night,
persisting through the end of the weak. Onshore winds and seas
should increase on Saturday ahead of the next weather system.

03

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 433 AM CDT Tue Apr 2 2024

Drier conditions anticipated behind the front today with RH`s
bottoming out in the 25-35% range later today and again on Wed.
Though NW winds will become breezy at times at some locations
later in the day, it currently appears conditions will not quite
warrant Red Flag criteria, but we will continue to monitor.
Elevated fire wx conditions are a possibility so caution is
advised. 47

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
College Station (CLL) 77 46 74 49 / 0 0 0 0
Houston (IAH) 83 51 76 52 / 10 0 0 0
Galveston (GLS) 79 57 74 60 / 40 0 0 0

&&

.HGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...None.
GM...Small Craft Advisory from 7 PM this evening to 7 AM CDT
Wednesday for GMZ330-335.

Small Craft Advisory from 7 PM this evening to 10 AM CDT
Wednesday for GMZ350-355-370-375.

Small Craft Should Exercise Caution until 5 AM CDT early this
morning for GMZ370.

&&

$$

[DoctorMu]

Unfortunately, I booked a room north of San Antonio.

I experienced an eclipse in Greenville, NC back in the day. I had a 3 inch refractor telescope and my Dad and I set up a straight optical line (we removed the eyepiece) leading into a box to view the image. We set up on a staging area on campus under spectacular blue skies. With some trial and error we got the focal length just right. It was spectacular, and totality was an amazing experience. When it grew dark, all the animals and birds became suddenly silent. The corona's image on our "screen" or with the naked eye was ferociously dynamic and bright in the relative darkness. There was an astronomer with a 12 inch reflector nearby and we blew their image away. Damn miraculous. Unfortunately, there were no iPhones to take a 1000 photos. My Dad had a Voitlander camera, but I think he forgot to bring it.

This time looks like a potential bust from Eagle Pass through Indianapolis.

But we'll see blue skies as a tease for a few days before the next front and ULL.

It's like the one damn time I don't welcome rain in CLL and S. Central Texas.

Ditto that. For once I’d like to send the rain elsewhere.

Was that eclipse in May of 1984? That was the first one I experienced, in Savannah. I was still in elementary school.

We used a stack of photo slides cover our eyes. We didn’t know any better back then but my eyes are fine. This was 1984 so there were no “eclipse shades” to be ordered on Amazon. We simply made do with whatever we could find at the house at the time (imagine that kiddos!)

I miss slides and printed photos. The older I get I have more appreciation for physical media versus 1s and Os.

haha I'm old. The eclipse of 1970, which ran up the southeast coast.

https://wpde.com/news/total-solar-eclip ... re?photo=3

[tireman4]

Update on the Eclipse

[jasons2k]

Looking more and more like the weather is going to spoil the viewing in Texas.

The big story next week will be the economic losses associated with the weather. Texas was expected to bring in a total of $1.4 billion in revenue related to eclipse-related activities. I don’t see how that’s possible now.

[Cpv17]

There’s a big difference between the GFS and the Euro for next week. The Euro is significantly wetter. GFS seems progressive and sends most of the rain east of us. The ensembles are about the same too.

[Stratton20]

Yeah that blows, mother nature is a true top of the line jerk lol, i hope the GFS is right, send all that rain to the east of us, dont care for it now, all that planning for monday going down the drain, definitely didn’t think i could hate rain, now I do lol

[Cpv17]

Yeah that blows, mother nature is a true top of the line jerk lol, i hope the GFS is right, send all that rain to the east of us, dont care for it now, all that planning for monday going down the drain, definitely didn’t think i could hate rain, now I do lol

To me it’s not really that big of a deal so I don’t really care too much. I’d actually prefer it to stay dry for a couple more weeks though. Plenty of moisture in the soil around my parts.

[Stratton20]

Cpv17 I just hate it because my family spent so much time making plans and ordering a bunch of stuff for the eclipse, like a big viewing party and all that, just for that all to go down the drain lol, texas weather sucks

[Cpv17]

Cpv17 I just hate it because my family spent so much time making plans and ordering a bunch of stuff for the eclipse, like a big viewing party and all that, just for that all to go down the drain lol, texas weather sucks

It’s just really sporadic. Not a lot of consistency to our weather the last several years.

[jasons2k]

Yeah that blows, mother nature is a true top of the line jerk lol, i hope the GFS is right, send all that rain to the east of us, dont care for it now, all that planning for monday going down the drain, definitely didn’t think i could hate rain, now I do lol

To me it’s not really that big of a deal so I don’t really care too much. I’d actually prefer it to stay dry for a couple more weeks though. Plenty of moisture in the soil around my parts.

My lawn and shrubs already need water again. I could use more rain but the timing just sucks this time around.

[tireman4]

000
FXUS64 KHGX 030832
AFDHGX

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Houston/Galveston TX
332 AM CDT Wed Apr 3 2024

...New SHORT TERM, LONG TERM, AVIATION, MARINE...

.SHORT TERM...
(Today through Thursday Night)
Issued at 301 AM CDT Wed Apr 3 2024

Nice springtime wx is on tap for the next couple days. Mostly clear
skies, low RH`s, cool nights and warm days will be the norm.
Readings in the 70s today will become a bit warmer Thursday as
surface high pressure sets up off the coast and we see a more
prevailing southwesterly low level flow across the region.

47

&&

.LONG TERM...
(Friday through Tuesday)
Issued at 301 AM CDT Wed Apr 3 2024

Clear skies and drier conditions persist into Friday as ridging
aloft remains in place over the Plains. Rising 850mb temperatures
with onshore flow should bring slightly warmer conditions, with
afternoon highs in the mid 70s to mid 80s. Cloud cover should begin
to gradually increase heading into the weekend as the next weather
system approaching from the west.

This next weather system comes in the form of an upper level trough,
which should dig across the Great Basin/Four Corners on Saturday.
It`s associated surface low over the Central Plains/Rockies should
deepen in turn, with gusty winds developing across SE Texas as a 30-
40 knot LLJ forms overhead. Rain chances return Saturday evening,
increasing overnight into Sunday as PWs quickly rise to 1.0-1.6"
ahead of this system`s associated cold front. As it currently
stands, this front appears to slow/stall over SE Texas. Long range
guidance shows the frontal boundary drifting northward on Monday as
another upper level trough digs into the desert Southwest. This
second upper level disturbance looks to spin up another surface low
over the Central/Southern Plains, eventually draping another front
across Texas later in the week. Overall the upcoming week looks to
start off cloudy and rainy, which doesn`t bode well for anyone
looking to view the Partial Eclipse here in the Houston area.

.2024 Solar Eclipse...

On April 8th (Monday), a Total Solar Eclipse is expected to occur
over portions of the South-Central to Northeastern CONUS. Over
Southeast Texas/Houston, the eclipse should begin around 12:20 AM.
The Partial Eclipse will reach it`s peak around 1:40 PM, with the
Moon blocking 94% of the Sun. The eclipse will end around 3:00
PM. Those attempting to view the eclipse should wear solar glasses
[must be ISO 12312-2 compliant] and use proper solar filters with
any cameras, binocular or telescopes.

Weather conditions on the day of the eclipse remain unfavorable
for the Houston area, still favoring cloudy skies and
scattered/isolated showers & storms.

03

&&

.AVIATION...
(09Z TAF Amendment)
Issued at 301 AM CDT Wed Apr 3 2024

VFR for the next 30+ hours with mclr skies prevailing. NW winds
10-15kt today will decouple after sunset...eventually becoming
southwesterly on Thurs.

47

&&

.MARINE...
Issued at 301 AM CDT Wed Apr 3 2024

North to northwesterly winds of 20 to 30 knots, gusts up to 35 knots
offshore, and seas of 5 to 8 feet continue across the Gulf waters
early today. Small Craft Advisories remain in effect across all
waters through later this morning, with low water advisories in
effect across bays during this early morning period. Lighter winds
and calmer seas will develop Wednesday night, persisting through the
end of the weak. Onshore winds and seas should increase this weekend
ahead of the next weather system, potentially warranting caution
flags at times.

03

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
College Station (CLL) 77 50 81 53 / 0 0 0 0
Houston (IAH) 77 53 83 55 / 0 0 0 0
Galveston (GLS) 74 61 76 64 / 0 0 0 0

&&

.HGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...None.
GM...Small Craft Advisory until 7 AM CDT this morning for GMZ330-335.

Low Water Advisory until 8 AM CDT this morning for GMZ330-335.

Small Craft Advisory until 10 AM CDT this morning for GMZ350-355-
370-375.

&&

$$

SHORT TERM...47
LONG TERM....03
AVIATION...47
MARINE...03

[tireman4]

Update on the Eclipse

[869MB]

It’s an absolutely beautiful morning outside with clear skies, low humidity and temperatures in the 60’s. It would be a perfect day for a Total Solar Eclipse.

[Cromagnum]

Update on the Eclipse

That's a weird image. Numbers on the actual image don't match the color scale at all.

[tireman4]

I got it from Blake Matthews Twitter account.

[JDsGN]

Update on the Eclipse

That's a weird image. Numbers on the actual image don't match the color scale at all.

It does mostly but the eclipse overlay throws the shades off some.

[jasons2k]

If you want to see the eclipse, head to northern Maine. Even Ohio and Indiana are starting to look iffy.

It sure it a nice day here today, though.