NC State and NOAA create tool to help predict weather conditions for total solar eclipse

THIS IS WYFF NEWS FOUR AT FOUR. IN FORECASTING OUR FUTURE THIS AFTERNOON. THE COUNTDOWN IS ON TO THE NEXT BIG SOLAR ECLIPSE. SO WHAT WILL WE BE ABLE TO SEE HERE AT HOME? METEOROLOGIST SYDNEY SULLIVAN IS LOOKING AT SOME TECHNOLOGY TO HELP FIGURE THAT OUT. SYDNEY YEAH, SO AS WE KNOW WEATHER CAN TAKE YOU ON A BIT OF A ROLLER COASTER AT TIMES. WHICH BEGS THE QUESTION, WHAT IS NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR, ESPECIALLY IF YOU WANT TO TAKE YOUR STARGAZING TO ANOTHER LEVEL IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS? WE LOOK OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS OF DATA. WHAT IS YOUR TYPICAL WEATHER CONDITIONS? AND SO THIS GIVES US A RANGE OF, YOU KNOW, CRAZY WEATHER, ONE DIRECTION CRAZY WEATHER, THE OTHER DIRECTION. AND SO WE’RE REALLY FOCUSING ON WHAT IS TYPICAL FOR THE TIME OF THE ECLIPSE. TAKE CLIMATE INFORMATION AND MERGE IT WITH ALL THE GREAT WORK DONE BY NASA, WHICH TELLS YOU WHEN THE ECLIPSE IS GOING TO HAPPEN AND WHERE. WHILE THE PATH OF TOTALITY BEGINS IN MEXICO AND STRETCHES TOWARDS THE NORTHEAST, GEORGIA AND THE CAROLINAS WON’T COMPLETELY MISS OUT ON THE THRILL. AND APPLYING IT TO OUR CLIMATE DATA. AND THIS ALLOWS US TO PINPOINT WHAT THE CLOUD CONDITIONS ARE GOING TO BE AND MEASURES OF COMFORT LIKE AIR TEMPERATURE OR HEAT INDEX. MAYBE YOU’RE INTERESTED IN WIND CHILL. IF YOU’RE GOING TO GO FURTHER NORTH TO SEE THE ECLIPSE AS EXCITEMENT FOR THE ECLIPSE BUILDS, VIEWING CONDITIONS ARE CRUCIAL. THEY HAVE A SENSOR THAT IT’S AN OPTICAL SENSOR THAT’S LOOKING UP AND IT’S SCANNING THE SKIES, AND IT’S ACTUALLY COUNTING THE NUMBER OF TIMES IT HITS A CLOUD. AND SO THIS THIS CONVERTS INTO CLEAR SKIES. IF YOU HAVE VERY FEW CLOUDS ALL THE WAY TO OVERCAST FROM THE BEST VIEWING LOCATIONS TO THE TYPICAL WEATHER CONDITIONS TO THE TIME YOU NEED TO PULL OUT THE CAMERA, THIS TOOL IS OPENING THE DOOR OF POSSIBILITIES TO CLIMATE DATA AND RESEARCH. REALLY COOL TOOL TO USE. AND FOR US, TYPICALLY SPEAKING ON THAT DATE IN AROUND APRIL 8TH, THE NORMAL HIGH IS 71 DEGREES AND THAT LOW IS IN THE UPPER 40S. SO HOPEFULLY OUR WEATHER HOLDS OUT SO YOU CAN AT LEAST SEE A GLIMPSE OF T