eclipse2001

On Eclipse Conditions
for the African Continent
Total Solar Eclipse in 2001

Projected Cloud Cover for the 2001 African Total Solar Eclipse



	This map shows the mean cloud amount for the month of June. The data were acquired from satellite imagery over a 13 year period and are free of most of the biases which accompany measurements of cloud from the ground by a variety of national weather organizations. Cloud conditions are best over Angola and western Zambia where the average cloud cover is less than 20 percent and, in the Angolan highlands, less than 10 percent. These areas are very nearly the sunniest on the globe at this time of year, being exceeded only by the Sahara Desert. Cloudiness increases gradually along the track toward the east, reaching a value of 40 percent along the Mozambique coast where a generous moisture supply and occasional cold fronts make for less exciting eclipse prospects. On the west coast of Madagascar, just where the eclipse track comes ashore, cloud cover shows a dramatic improvement with average June values dropping to those typical of western Zambia. This area of high sunshine is a result of the steady easterly trade winds which must cross the mountain backbone of the island before descending to the coast along the Mozambique Channel. The air which flows over the island deposits its moisture and cloud as it rises up the windward eastern slopes, leaving a much drier airmass to descend to the lee of the mountains around Morombe and Ambahikily.

Weather Statistics Along the Eclipse Track