Twist in Eclipse Forecast for Western Oregon, Coast: Cloud Breaks Quite Possible

Published 10/13/23 at 5:32 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Oregon Coast) – A twist in the forecast for Saturday's eclipse on the Oregon coast but more for other parts of western Oregon: cloud layers are looking thinner and there may be a decent chance to catch some of the cosmic event. (Photo Oregon Coast Beach Connection)

The National Weather Service (NWS) told Oregon Coast Beach Connection late Thursday night there is some good news.

Tyler Kranz, meteorologist with the Portland office of the NWS, said there are going to be some breaks earlier in the morning, but the coast won't get as many as inland.

“The latest model data is now a bit less cloudy for the eclipse Saturday morning,” Kranz told Oregon Coast Beach Connection. “That being said, it will NOT be 100% clear. There will be a mix of low/mid/high clouds, however the latest guidance is showing at least some small breaks in cloud cover Saturday morning (from 6am-10am PDT).”

Luckily, the full effect of the eclipse is around 9 a.m., as the full ring of fire touches down on the continent first around Reedsport, then makes its way from Depoe Bay and down to Bandon, over to Eugene, Crater Lake and Klamath Falls.

Kranz said about 10 a.m. the skies start to thicken up rather quickly, which leaves the peak of the eclipse possibly a little clearer than thought.

“So, there should be at least a few locations that get lucky and just so happen to get a little break with partly cloudy skies Saturday morning,” Kranz said. “This looks especially true in the Eugene area where there looks to be the least cloud cover between 6am-10am. A bit more cloud cover at the coast when compared to Eugene, but a few breaks are possible there as well.”

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However, not all that is for sure. All this means is that your chances for seeing the eclipse may have improved slightly.

“Basically it will be a race against time,” he said. “If cloud cover decides to thicken up even one or two hours before what the latest guidance suggests, it will ruin our chance of seeing the eclipse. My forecast confidence is medium.”

Down south, the Medford office of the NWS echoed Kranz's statements, saying: “The difficulty in the sky coverage forecast lies primarily with the dissipating front the night before.”

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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