Solar Eclipses Provide "Shining" Opportunities to Increase Climate Data Literacy for the General Public

Due to overwhelming popularity within and outside of the scientific community, solar eclipses offer an unique opportunity to convey climate science and information to the general public. Following the success of NOAAs National Centers for Environmental Information’s (NCEI) cloudiness climatology developed for the August 21, 2017 solar eclipse, dubbed the “Great American Eclipse,” a wider variety of maps was created for the October 14, 2023 Annual Solar Eclipse and April 8, 2024 Total Solar Eclipse. Both the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses cover vast swaths of the United States, affect tens of millions of people, and present a rare opportunity to educate a large segment of the general public on climate normals and how to apply them.

Maps were created to show climatological normals (30-year averages) of cloudiness, temperature, dew point, heat index, and wind chill for a window of time centered on the solar eclipse at locations within the eclipse’s path. Using Esri software and paired with short social media and web explainers, this information is mapped in an easy to follow, visually engaging manner. The content created by the NCEI team helps individuals gain a better understanding of how climate information can be used to plan solar eclipse viewing and anticipate potential weather-related impacts such as cloudiness or extreme temperatures.