JOIN USThe national capital experienced showers Tuesday afternoon, bringing smiles to people's faces but at the same time narrowing the possibilities of clear skies on the eclipse day on Wednesday.
"Delhi is likely to receive slight to heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours," an official at the Safdarjung met office said.
The Uttar Pradesh Met Department has also forecast cloudy skies and thundershowers in several places, including Varanasi, Lucknow and Allahabad that could have offered one of the best views otherwise.
"Cyclonic circulation over Uttar Pradesh will result in clouds, which in turn would certainly make eclipse viewing difficult in parts of the state," State Met Director J.P. Gupta said.
Moreover, a well-marked low pressure area over northwest Bay of Bengal that has concentrated into a depression is likely to move towards the state and could result in rainfall in some parts of the state, he added.
In Varanasi, the maximum totality duration of the eclipse would be three minutes and 10 seconds. In Lucknow, the solar eclipse begins early Wednesday at 5.31 a.m. and ends at 7.26 a.m.
The Indira Gandhi Planetarium and the Regional Science City in Lucknow have made special arrangements for viewing this century's longest solar eclipse.
The Regional Science City will open at 5 a.m. Wednesday for visitors and promise to show the celestial action live from 5.31 a.m. on a large LCD screen.
People in several cities of Madhya Pradesh were also hoping for a clear sky Wednesday, but weather officials in Bhopal have also predicted a cloudy morning.
"There is a strong possibility of cloud cover around the time of eclipse that would last six minutes and 44 seconds," said D.P. Dubey, director of the Regional (Madhya Pradesh) Meteorological Centre.
According to Dubey, a low-pressure area is building up over the Bay of Bengal and would get activated around Tuesday and Wednesday.
"The impact of this system would be felt in Madhya Pradesh in the form of cloud cover and rains," he said.
The total solar eclipse will be visible in several places in the state including Bhopal. But if the sky remains clear, it can also be viewed in Indore, Ujjain, Jabalpur, Panchmarhi, Sagar and Vidisha districts, among others.