Could weather ruin Ontario's chances to see rare solar eclipse in 2024?

Excitement is building across North America for a rare total solar eclipse on April 8, an event that will offer Ontario residents and visitors a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the entire sun blacked out from the sky.

The celestial event has the masses planning parties and purchasing eclipse glasses to safely view the spectacle, but before everyone goes all in on the hype, they might want to take a quick glance at the weather forecast ahead of the big day that is now just two weeks off on the calendar.

While a 14-day forecast should always be taken with a grain of salt, The Weather Network predicts (as of March 25) Toronto will see a 40 per cent chance of rain on a cool and partially-cloudy April 8.

If weather cooperates, Toronto is expected to see a maximum eclipse coverage of 99 per cent starting at approximately 3:20 p.m., roughly one hour and 15 minutes after the event begins. The eclipse will last a total of two hours and thirty-six minutes, ending at 4:41 p.m.

Toronto's 99 per cent coverage will be a sight to behold — weather permitting. However, the real show will occur in places like Hamilton and Niagara Falls, which fall under the so-called "path of totality," where the sun will be entirely blacked out by the moon.

Hamilton is forecast to see a mix of sun and clouds on the day of the once-in-a-lifetime event, with a ten per cent chance of rain in the cards rounding out The Weather Network's 14-day forecast.

The forecast is looking even less favourable in Niagara Falls, which is bracing for record-breaking crowds as hotel and Airbnb bookings climb to never-before-seen levels for early spring.

The tourist hotspot is projected to experience mainly cloudy skies on April 8, with a worrying 30 per cent chance of rain that could leave the throngs of would-be spectators with an anticlimactic clouded-over viewing and a sky-high hotel bill.

Two weeks is still distant, though, and longer-term forecasts are prone to fluctuate as the date draws nearer.

Still, the current forecast as of March 25 could have some eclipse tourists wanting to pack an umbrella for their upcoming trip to Ontario's biggest tourism destinations.