Clear skies forecast for Monday

FINDLAY — Nothing but blue skies. That's the latest forecast for the Findlay area by the National Weather Service for Monday's total solar eclipse. The weather service issued the update for Northern Ohio and Northwest Pennsylvania at 5:30 a.m. Friday. At this time, the forecast favors mainly higher cirrus clouds on Monday. Cautioning that the event is still a few days out and subject to change, the weather service said it looks like clear skies with a high near 70 degrees for Findlay on Monday. No hazardous weather is expected. According to the weather service, a warm front is expected to advance into the area on Monday. Rain chances and cloud cover should diminish behind the front. However, there remains uncertainty about how far northeast the front will move on Monday. The front is expected to move through most of the area based on the current trend. This has allowed for a slightly drier and less cloudy forecast, while raising temperatures on Monday a bit. Findlay will experience totality beginning at 3:10 p.m. and ending at 3:14 p.m. on Monday. Even if it is cloudy, the sky will still get noticeably dark and temperatures could drop 4 to 10 degrees, according to the weather service. A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the sun. The sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk. The eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of totality will first enter the United States in Texas, then pass through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The last time Ohio experienced a total eclipse was June 16, 1806. The next total solar eclipse over the United States will occur on Aug. 23, 2044, but will only be visible in Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. This weekend, the weather service is forecasting partly sunny skies on Saturday, with a high near 51 degrees, and a low around 31 degrees. Clouds are expected to increase on Sunday, with a high near 58 degrees. There's a 60% chance of showers Sunday night, with a low of around 46 degrees. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch are possible.