Dallas severe weather threat upgraded as Texas to Arkansas faces stormy forecast for Monday's solar eclipse
the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex has been upgraded to a Level 3 out of 5 risk of severe weather because of the threat of very large hail upwards of 2 inches or greater in diameter. This Level 3 risk covers much of north-central and northwestern Texas.
The threat of an untimely severe weather event Monday covers a wide swath of Texas just as millions hope to take in the spectacle of the last total solar eclipse in the U.S. for more than a decade.
LIVE COVERAGE: TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE APRIL 2024
NOAA's Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has placed nearly the entire eclipse's path of totality within Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas inside a severe weather risk for Monday.
Much of the path resides inside a Level 1 or 2 out of 5 severe weather risk, including popular eclipse hunting spots such as Waco, Austin, San Antonio and even Eagle Pass, Texas – the first place in America that will see the total solar eclipse.
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However, the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex has been upgraded to a Level 3 out of 5 risk of severe weather because of the threat of very large hail upwards of 2 inches or greater in diameter. This Level 3 risk covers much of north-central and northwestern Texas.
(FOX Weather)
To the north and east, a Level 1 threat covers most of Arkansas.
FOX WEATHER'S TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE 2024 COVERAGE
"This is something that people from all over the world travel to see," FOX Weather Meteorologist Stephen Morgan said. "And if you go based on climatological norms – 20- to 30-year averages – Texas is the hot spot to be because that is where normally cloud cover is the least (along the path)."
BUZZWORDS YOU COULD HEAR DURING SEVERE WEATHER
Computer forecast models are painting a rather complex situation with an upper-level low-pressure system that will move into the Desert Southwest on Monday, interacting with a moist air mass and deep wind shear – the change in wind speed and/or direction with height – in place from much of Central, North and East Texas eastward into Louisiana, the SPC noted.
By early Monday afternoon, warm, moist air moving northwestward from the Gulf of Mexico into southeastern Texas is forecast to trigger strong to severe thunderstorms with a primary threat of large hail, though a few tornadoes are also possible.
Stormy weather looks to hold off just long enough for the eclipse
The latest computer model guidance for Monday suggests some good news in that the severe weather is expected to hold off along the eclipse path just long enough into the afternoon after the eclipse passes through the region.
The eclipse will begin in Dallas at 12:23 p.m. CDT, with just under 4 minutes of totality occurring between 1:40 and 1:44 p.m. CDT.
WHERE IN TEXAS TO SEE THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE ON APRIL 8TH
The total eclipse times in Dallas, Texas, on April 8, 2024.
(FOX Weather)
Even if the storms hold off, the budding storm clouds could provide unwanted cloud cover. The FOX Weather Forecast indicates "many" clouds will be spread throughout much of Texas during the eclipse.
TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE LIVE TRACKER: CLOUD FORECASTS FOR CITIES, STATES IN PATH OF TOTALITY
(FOX Weather)
But as long as the skies aren’t overcast, eclipse viewers still have a chance to witness the spectacle.
"This is quite a window for folks living in Dallas (and) for folks traveling to Dallas – and all you need is that four-minute window when you don’t have the clouds in front," Morgan said. "And how many days have you seen where clouds develop and you still have the sun – a mix of sun and clouds? So I’m going for that perfect forecast."
TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE FORECAST SHOWS WHO HAS THE BEST CHANCE FOR CLEAR SKIES ON APRIL 8th
Severe weather could catch travelers off guard after the eclipse
While the thunderstorms look to hold off getting started until closer to mid- to even late afternoon, strong to severe thunderstorms look to cover much of what was the eclipse's path throughout much of Texas and Arkansas by Monday evening.
Thunderstorms and hailstorms could catch travelers off guard in what is expected to be heavy traffic through the rest of Monday as eclipse gazers head home, and it could be especially harrowing for visitors to the region with less severe weather experience.
If caught driving in a large hailstorm, pull well off the road as driving compounds a hailstone's impact with your car. While stopping under an overpass may look enticing, safety experts say don't stop there as you may create accidents on the highway, according to hail safety tips from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. If stopped and still exposed to hail, angle your car to where the windshield is facing the hail as windshields are reinforced to withstand forward driving and pelting objects.
AMERICA'S TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE TO PLUNGE MILLIONS INTO DARKNESS ACROSS U.S. MONDAY AFTERNOON
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Meanwhile, a separate area of strong to severe thunderstorms will develop in western Texas later Monday evening and move east. Those storms should steer clear of the eclipse time and locations, but they could eventually pose additional problems for those still traveling in the eclipse zone overnight and into Tuesday morning.
These storms have also been highlighted for the potential of severe weather, with quarter-sized hail and damaging wind gusts possible.
Much of Arkansas, which is also both home to the eclipse's path of totality and a severe weather threat Monday, should still be in good shape for the viewing as severe weather there is not expected to arrive until Monday night, though clouds are more likely at the southern edge of the state.
(FOX Weather)
The severe weather threat lingers in Texas and along parts of the Gulf Coast into Tuesday and Wednesday.
Meanwhile, FOX Weather is keeping you updated on the forecast along the entire path of totality as Monday's big event approaches.
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