PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregonians hoping to see a rare "ring of fire" solar eclipse on Saturday may need to cross their fingers and hope for the best. Clouds are expected to blanket much of the northwestern part of the state and along the coast, but the Portland and Salem metro areas could see some cloud breaks.
The annular solar eclipse will move across much of the western and southwestern U.S. on Oct. 14. The solar eclipse will begin just after 8 a.m., but its peak will happen between 9:15-9:25 a.m. The moon will pass in front of the sun and create the appearance of an illuminated ring, or a "ring of fire."
KGW meteorologist Rod Hill is keeping an eye on the cloud cover.
"The best bet of breaks and cloud cover would be south of Eugene ... down toward Medford and then areas east of the Cascades," Hill said Thursday morning.
On Wednesday, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Portland shared an update to their cloud cover forecast on X, formerly known as Twitter. The Willamette Valley will see partly cloudy skies, or 50% cloud cover. People on the Oregon coast appear to be the least likely to catch a glimpse of the solar eclipse with mostly cloudy skies, or 70% cloud cover. The possibility for breaks in the clouds increases the further east you are in the state. Southeast Oregon will be mostly clear, with 10% cloud cover.
Cloud cover forecast for October 14:
- Coast: Mostly cloudy 70%
- Valley: Partly cloudy 50%
- Cascades: Partly cloudy 30%
- Central Oregon: Mostly clear 15%
- Southeast Oregon: Mostly clear 10%
If you are lucky enough to see the celestial phenomenon, remember to protect your eyes by wearing a pair of eclipse glasses.
The last time an annular solar eclipse happened in the U.S. was in 2012. The next won't happen until 2046.
KGW will continue to monitor the forecast and update this story.