National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

A Partial Annular Solar Eclipse will occur early Sunday evening over West and Central North Dakota, beginning at around 7:15 PM CDT (or 6:15 PM MDT).  A Partial Annular Solar Eclipse means only part of the Moon will cover the Sun (the Full Annular Eclipse will occur along a path from southwestern Oregon and northern California...southeast into western Texas). 

Over West and Central North Dakota, anywhere from 55 to 65 percent of the Sun will be covered by the Moon, with the maximum eclipse occurring between 8:15 to 8:25 PM CDT, depending on where you are at.  See http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/15may_sunday/ for more information. 

Mostly clear skies are expected across West and Central North Dakota early Sunday evening, giving us good viewing conditions of the partial eclipse.  Remember to never look directly at the Sun, even during a partial eclipse, as serious eye damage may result.