Cloud forecasts worsen ahead of Iceland solar eclipse

Weather forecasts for the capital region have worsened ahead of Wednesday’s solar eclipse, mbl.is reports. A low pressure system southwest of Iceland is expected to bring bands of cloud with it.

Conditions are expected to be overcast around Breiðafjörður, in the Westfjords and across North Iceland. In some places, however, the cloud cover may be thin enough for the sun to appear. Clear patches could also form, allowing people to see the sun.

Meteorologist Einar Sveinbjörnsson told mbl.is that a thin layer of cloud would still allow observers to see the moon pass in front of the sun. If the cloud is thick, they may only notice the light fading, as if evening were approaching.

“Cloud forecasts are difficult when conditions are neither completely clear nor fully overcast,” he said.

The partial eclipse will be visible across Iceland. Sveinbjörnsson said the most reliable forecasts were for north-central Iceland, around Eyjafjörður and in the outer parts of North Iceland.

More than 90 per cent of the sun will be covered at the peak of the eclipse everywhere in Iceland, meaning it will be almost total in other parts of the country.