More than a hundred years have passed since the last total solar eclipse in Spain. For this Wednesday, August 12, a phenomenon is expected that will begin to darken the sky in the mid-afternoon. In Andalusia, the eclipse will be partial (starting at 19:40), although with high visibility percentages, exceeding 90%.
However, visibility could be compromised by several factors. The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) in Andalusia forecasts high cloudiness in areas such as Seville, Córdoba, Jaén, Málaga, and parts of Granada, while in Cádiz it will be lower. These clouds, in principle, should not be an insurmountable obstacle, but they could affect the clarity of vision in some provinces.
Visibility might be better in Seville, Córdoba, Huelva, and Jaén, and more complicated in Cádiz, Málaga, Granada, and Almería. Added to these meteorological conditions is the factor of the fire in Niebla, in Huelva.
The fire, which started last week, has spread, affecting municipalities in the province of Seville, such as El Madroño, which had to be evacuated, and Aznalcóllar, which has taken preventive measures. The ferocity of the fire and the continuous wind changes make it difficult to predict how the ash clouds will affect the observation of the eclipse.
The incident in Seville capital on Monday afternoon is recalled, when a cloud of ash from the Niebla fire covered the sky and caused the sun to take on a reddish hue. If similar phenomena occur again, the affected areas will have greater difficulty seeing the eclipse clearly.
