Eclipse 2090

On this page there are weather reports from Porthtowan, Cornwall, UK each year for 6pm on September 23, the day of the 2090 eclipse. Above is a mockup of what totality may look like in 2090, showing the position of the sun as seen at 6.10 pm on 23 September 1999. In 2090, the car in the garage is a valuable antique :-)

1999

September 1999 had twice as much rainfall as the previous five Septembers. But on 23rd, there was patchy cloud and the sun was much more readily visible than it was during the 1999 eclipse.

2000

September 2000 had a slightly above average rainfall but most of it occurred in the few days prior to the 23rd. As last year, there was patchy cloud and it was quite a nice sunny day most of the time. Had this been eclipse day, waves of dissapointment would be flowing over the land as a huge bank of cloud rolled in over St Ives at high speed at about 5.30pm. Thick and impeneterable, it would have made even the growing shadow an afterthought to the gloom it imposed. By the time 6.10 pm came the level of cloud cover made it so dark that one could have been forgiven for thinking that it was already 2090 and the eclipse was in progress.

2001

Although September 2001 produced flood conditions in the eastern half of Britain, rainfall for Cornwall was substantially lower than the average. This average taken over the previous seven years was 71mm at Porthtowan. In fact by 23 September 2001 only 1mm had fallen that month. However there was plenty of high pressure cloud and mist during the month, and the general gloom was heightened by the actions of suicidal killers who murdered thousands of people in a most horrific manner in the United States on the 11th.

The 23rd opened with the usual thick dry cloud, but the skies cleared towards the middle of the day and a bright and sunny afternoon developed. By the evening even more of the cloud rolled back towards the east, but for a time a tiny band of cloud obscured the sun, as seen in the picture. By 6.10 conditions were perfect and had it been 2090 the eclipse would have been seen in all its glory, despite fears that watchers would have felt with the weather earlier.

2002

September 2002 produced rainfall in the eastern half of Britain, but for Cornwall it was very nearly zero. This average taken over the previous seven years was 73mm at Porthtowan, as the latter part of the previous year made up for early dryness. By 23 September 2002 the rain gauge showed zero for the month. The wet days had been drizzle which produced little in actual millimetres of rain.

The 23rd opened with glorious horizon to horizon sunshine, but the skies clouded towards the middle of the day and the outlook looked grim. However by the evening even more of the cloud rolled back towards the west. If the eclipse had been this year, an observer here may have been concerned that he may be going to miss it, as so many did in 1999. But by 6.10 conditions were perfect again and had it been 2090 the eclipse would have been seen in all its glory, despite the fears that watchers would have felt as a result of the weather earlier.

The picture shows the sun "eclisped" by the apex of the house roof, and you can see the cloud bank keeping a respectful distance behind.

On 19 September this year New Scientist had announced a competition where the winner is to receive full membership of the Cryonics Institute with prepayment of his cryopreservation. Maybe the winner will be reanimated in time to see this eclipse, if technological progress turns out to be at the fast end of predictions.

2003

After a very dry August, September produced 16mm of rainfall by the pre-anniversary of the eclipse. But most of this fell on one or two days in the early days, most of the month still being dry. The 23^rd saw the beginning of colder weather for the winter, with night frosts forecast for sheltered areas of Cornwall. However had the eclipse been this year, there would have been a chance of seeing it through the small islands of cloud that had persisted most of the day. Indeed at exactly the correct time the sun was clear, and again the picture shows the house eclipsing the sun.

2004

This year floods demolished the Cornish town of Boscastle on the same day as 52 years previously Lynmouth was similarly destroyed in 1952. And more ghastly events illustrating man's inhumanity to man are shaking the world. The optimism which heralded the new millennium is rapidly fading from people's memories.

A dry spell in late August and early September was followed by a period of wet grey weather. 23 mm had fallen at Porthtowan by 23 September. On this pre-anniversary of the 2090 eclipse it got so dark at half past five that one may be able to imagine that there was a moon shadow above the clouds. And then the rain started. Had this been the Big Day in 2090, disappointment would have again swept the county.

2005

2005 seemed to be an annus horribilis for many people, both on a global scale with tsunamis and hurricanes and personal scale with the rising threats of suspicion and terrorism. The equinoctial chill came early this year and by 23^rd September there had already been some grey days. However on the pre-anniversary itself, there was a grey start but a brighter afternoon. Had this been 2090 some people would have seen the eclipse between breaks in the clouds and some not -- rather like 1999.

2006

2006 produced a hot dry summer with a brief period of heavy rainfall in August. By the time September 23 came, the UK just has a visit from the remains of a hurricane which left some unsettled weather in its wake. The mnorning was fine and sunny, but by the time the evening came a big thunderhead had built up in the west to cover the view of the sun, and the only thing eclipse watchers would have seen whilst in the moon's shadow would have been flashes of lightening out to sea. However the eastern half of the sky was cloud free at the crucial time, for all the good that would have done.

2007

cloudy

2008

cloudy - the house and garage have gone. It was replaced with another one to the right.

2009

Thick mist. The following day was sunny and dry.

2010

Cloudy on the day

2011

2011 was an exceptionally dry year, but August and September had quite a lot of cloudy days. On the pre-anniversary, there was high pressure, but broken cloud. Eclipse may have been seen through gaps.Note the sundog in the picture to the right between the roofs.

2019

2019 was a year of extremes, with global warming providing the hottest heat wave in Europe since records began. On the pre-anniversary, there was high winds and low pressure, with no chance of seeing any eclipse had there been one. The day also heralded the collapse of the country's biggest travel company, and the year is the year of political turmoil about the European Union. The year also saw the passage of two interstellar objects, the 'Ourmuamua and the Borisov through our solar system.

Back to eclipse page.