Will clouds obscure your view of the Perseid meteor shower?



UPDATE:  Smoke from British Columbia moved over Western Washington Sunday evening making it very difficult to see the Perseid meteor shower. Q13 Meteorologist Tim Joyce said those in the south Sound will have a better shot at seeing the meteors than Seattle and cities north of the city.






SEATTLE -- The Perseid meteor shower is expected to peak Sunday night as one of 2018’s best meteor showers. And the Pacific Northwest region will have  a good chance to see the bursts of light.

Q13 Meteorologist Katie Boer said the clouds should clear or mostly clear during our evening hours. Adding, "tonight's viewing should be even better than yesterday."

But there is a little bit of bad news. Boer said some folks near the Maple Fire in the Olympic National Forest or in the Cascades might still be dealing with smoke and haze and that could reduce visibility.

This year, the Perseid meteor shower will be particularly spectacular because the moon will be a thin crescent and will set early leaving a dark canvas for the meteors. According to NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke, the shower should feature 60 to 70 meteors per hour at its peak.

But no matter if the clouds or smoke clear, "you still need to get away from the light pollution of cities," Meteorologist M.J. McDermott said.

You can start looking for meteor as soon as it gets dark, but the best viewing may be after midnight and into the predawn hours of Monday.

The Perseids are actually visible from July 17 to August 24, although it peaks Sunday into Monday morning.