In August the southwest monsoon season over India is just past its peak, though still in full sway. This humid, wet and cloudy season does not retreat from eastern Pakistan until early September, too late to affect the eclipse. Cloud conditions over western Pakistan are heavier than over Iran because of the abundant moisture available from the Arabian Sea and the convection-promoting influence of the monsoon. Statistics for Karachi show a dramatic decline in the frequency of days with scattered cloud, though not in the number of days with rain.

As the track moves into India, the low Sun angle, late hour, and the extensive cloudiness of the Indian monsoon bring the poorest conditions of anywhere along the track. Satellite pictures reveal a land cloaked in cloud day after day and the probability of seeing the eclipse declines rapidly. By the time the shadow reaches the sunset terminator, the chances of seeing the eclipse have dropped almost to zero.

Adapted from NASA RP 1398 "Total Solar Eclipse of 1999 August 11".

WebMaster: Fred Espenak Planetary Systems Branch - Code 693 e-mail: espenak@lepvax.gsfc.nasa.gov NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771 USA