Cloudy eclipse weather got you down? Here's how you can still experience the solar eclipse

You've probably heard grumblings over the last week that the weather forecast for the total solar eclipse — a once-in-a-lifetime event for many in the San Antonio and Austin areas — is not looking good.

With the eclipse time approaching fast, the forecast remains poor, with low- and higher-level clouds expected to make eclipse-watching difficult for those hoping to experience totality — the moment when the moon completely blocks out the sun.

Now that we've ripped off that Band-Aid, we can get to the good news: you can still experience some of the best parts of the eclipse even under cloudy skies.

First, we'll still be able to experience sudden darkness at 1:33 p.m. in San Antonio, with varying times of estimated totality depending on where you are.

• San Antonio International Airport: 30 seconds
• 281 & 1604: 1 minute and 30 seconds
• I-10 & 1604: 2 minutes and 20 seconds
• Alamo Ranch: 2 minutes and 22 seconds
• Downtown San Antonio: No total eclipse (99.9% coverage) 
• Boerne: 3 minutes and 33 seconds
• Kerrville and the Hill Country: 4 minutes and 24 seconds
• Austin: 1 minute and 44 seconds
  

During totality, we'll also still be able to experience a drop in temperature. Last, but not least, it will be a good time to watch animals for weird behavior during totality. Crickets could chirp and owls could hoot.

Let's take a closer look at the forecast.

For the San Antonio and Austin areas, there may be a few breaks in the lower-level clouds during eclipse time, but even if that were to happen, there would still be clouds higher up that would only allow a very filtered view of the eclipse, according to Jason Runyen, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Austin/San Antonio.

"For those locations that don't see the breaks [in the clouds] it should just remain kind of mostly cloudy to overcast and you won't be able to view the eclipse," Runyen says.

Are you thinking now is a good time to make a last-minute escape to somewhere less cloudy? You may have to travel a long way. How does northern Maine sound to you?

National Weather Service

Runyen says the whole South/Central Texas region is likely to experience cloudy weather Monday afternoon. The forecast is slightly better for people farther west in Fredericksburg, Kerrville and along the border in Del Rio and Eagle Pass.

He says people in those areas may see more breaks in the lower-level clouds than we'll experience in San Antonio and Austin, but they'll still have to contend with higher-up clouds.

After the eclipse comes and goes, there is a risk of severe weather Monday, but Runyen says the storms would likely be isolated, meaning they would affect fewer people.

For those traveling from out of town, you'll probably want to keep an eye out for Tuesday's weather. Runyen says the Weather Service has a higher level of confidence we may see some storms into Tuesday night that could produce severe weather.

There's always 2045.

If the worst-case weather scenario happens on Monday — with thick, high and low clouds in the San Antonio area — there's always the next total solar eclipse in Texas we can look forward to.

Mark your calendars for Aug. 12, 2045! If, like me, you're currently figuring out how old you'll be — I know. Ouch!

The coast-to-coast total solar eclipse, which some websites have dubbed "The Greatest American Eclipse," will pass over a sliver of the Texas Panhandle. It will also give millions of Americans a chance to experience an incredible 6 minutes of totality, compared to the 4 minutes people will experience on Monday in the Texas Hill Country.

And if that's not tempting enough, consider this: the path of totality will also travel over the most magical place on Earth, Disney World.