Forecasters put the total solar eclipse into a weather model and the result is amazing
The weather wizards at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have added the effects of the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse to one of their newest, highest-resolution computer models. The result is a gorgeously detailed view of how the eclipse will cause a decrease in incoming solar radiation as it crosses the country on Monday, from the Pacific Northwest to the Southeast.
Scientists at a NOAA laboratory in Boulder, Colorado added the eclipse's path to a computer model known as the "High-Resolution Rapid Refresh" or "HRRR" model. They released a simulation of the eclipse on Thursday, and starting Saturday, the model will start incorporating the eclipse in its real-time forecasts.
The eclipse algorithm was developed by a University of Barcelona team and shared by the National Center for Atmospheric Research. It calculates how much of the sun will be obscured by the moon at each point. The HRRR model breaks the country down into boxes with a width of just about 2 miles.
As the incoming solar radiation changes with the eclipse, the model simulates how that will affect the weather. The eclipse can cause drops in temperature or even weakening thunderstorms temporarily, since they thrive in hot and humid conditions triggered by sunshine.
In a simulation using the weather on August 4, the researchers found that the eclipse will primarily affect temperatures by cooling a widespread area of the country by up to 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit. Such areas will experience a partial eclipse.
For the 70-mile-wide swath of the nation that will experience a total solar eclipse, the temperature impacts will be more significant, the model projects. Along the path of the full eclipse, the model shows that temperatures will drop between 5 and 12 degrees Fahrenheit.
Andrew Freedman is Mashable's Senior Editor for Science and Special Projects. Prior to working at Mashable, Freedman was a Senior Science writer for Climate Central. He has also worked as a reporter for Congressional Quarterly and Greenwire/E&E Daily. His writing has also appeared in the Washington Post, online at The Weather Channel, and washingtonpost.com, where he wrote a weekly climate science column for the "Capital Weather Gang" blog. He has provided commentary on climate science and policy for Sky News, CBC Radio, NPR, Al Jazeera, Sirius XM Radio, PBS NewsHour, and other national and international outlets. He holds a Masters in Climate and Society from Columbia University, and a Masters in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School at Tufts University.
