On the morning of Election Day 2022, a total lunar eclipse — the Blood Moon — crossed the sky over North America, offering itself to those fortunate enough to live beneath clear air. A Canadian high-pressure system drew a generous arc of visibility from New England down through the Gulf Coast, while storms and mountain snows closed the curtain for much of the West. The event was a quiet reminder that the cosmos moves on its own terms, indifferent to borders or convenience, and that the next such gift for North American skywatchers would not arrive until March 2025.
Clear skies expected across half of US for Election Day Blood Moon eclipse
Half the country woke with clear skies; the other half faced storms and snow.
Mark
So half the country gets clear skies and half doesn't—that's a pretty stark split. What's actually driving that?
Mimi
It's all about a high-pressure system coming down from Canada. That's your clear-sky maker. It's going to sit over the Northeast and push down through the Mid-Atlantic and into the South, and anywhere that system reaches, you get good viewing.
Mark
And the other half?
Mimi
Storms. A whole different weather pattern is moving in from the west. Rain, clouds, and in the mountains—Montana, Idaho, Nevada, California—you're looking at significant snow. The Sierra Nevada could get over a foot.
Mark
So if you're in Los Angeles or Seattle, you're basically out of luck?
Mimi
Pretty much. Those cities are going to be completely clouded out. Same with Portland and San Francisco. You picked the wrong half of the country to be in.
Mark
What about people in the middle? Kansas, Oklahoma?
Mimi
There's a smaller storm system that could bring clouds and thunderstorms through there. You might see it, you might not. It's the in-between zone—not great odds.
Mark
If people miss this one, when's the next chance?
Mimi
Not until March 2025. So if the clouds roll in tomorrow morning, you're waiting nearly three years.
The Pulse
- A rare total lunar eclipse arrived on Election Day morning, giving millions an unexpected reason to look up before casting their votes.
- A sharp meteorological divide split the country — clear skies blessing the East while storms, rain, and heavy Sierra Nevada snowfall shut out viewers across the West.
- A Canadian high-pressure ridge became the deciding force, carving a corridor of visibility from Boston through Nashville all the way to Houston and southern Texas.
- Pockets of uncertainty lingered over the central Plains and parts of the Southeast, where clouds and scattered showers left eclipse watchers hoping for breaks that might never come.
- With the next North American total lunar eclipse not due until March 2025, those clouded out faced the sobering reality of a more than two-year wait.
On the morning of Election Day 2022, a total lunar eclipse — the Blood Moon — crossed the sky over North America, offering itself to those fortunate enough to live beneath clear air. A Canadian high-pressure system drew a generous arc of visibility from New England down through the Gulf Coast, while storms and mountain snows closed the curtain for much of the West. The event was a quiet reminder that the cosmos moves on its own terms, indifferent to borders or convenience, and that the next such gift for North American skywatchers would not arrive until March 2025.
On the morning of November 8, 2022 — Election Day — roughly half the continental United States had a rare opportunity: clear enough skies to witness a total lunar eclipse, the so-called Blood Moon. For viewers in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and stretches of the South and Southwest, forecasters offered genuine optimism.
The driving force behind the favorable outlook was a ridge of high pressure descending from central Ontario. It swept southeast across the Great Lakes, the Ohio and Tennessee valleys, and the mid-Atlantic seaboard, clearing a wide corridor from Boston through New York, Baltimore, Columbus, and Nashville. The good fortune extended further south to Houston, Austin, and Shreveport, and westward into Arizona and much of Colorado.
The western half of the country told a different story. Storms rolling in from the Pacific brought clouds and rain to the Northern Plains and Far West, with snow expected at higher elevations across Montana, Idaho, and Nevada. The Sierra Nevada braced for over a foot of accumulation. Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles would see nothing but overcast skies. A secondary disturbance over the nation's midsection threatened Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and the Texas Panhandle with clouds and possible thunder, while the Piedmont and parts of the Pacific Northwest could only hope for fleeting breaks.
For those shut out by weather, the consolation was cold: North America's next total lunar eclipse would not come until March 2025. The Blood Moon passed as celestial events always do — on its own schedule, visible to some, hidden from others, waiting for no one.
Half the country woke up on Election Day morning with a rare gift: a total lunar eclipse, and weather forecasters were predicting that roughly half the continental United States would have clear enough skies to see it. The Blood Moon was coming on November 8, 2022, and for viewers in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and parts of the South and Southwest, the conditions looked promising.
A ridge of high pressure pushing down from central Ontario was the key to the forecast. This system would spread southeast across the Northeast, the middle Atlantic states, the Ohio and Tennessee River valleys, and the eastern Great Lakes, creating a band of favorable viewing conditions stretching from Boston through New York, Baltimore, Columbus, and Nashville. The same clearing could extend all the way to the Gulf Coast and southern Texas, meaning cities like Houston, Austin, and Shreveport had a genuine shot at watching the moon darken. Arizona and much of Colorado also looked particularly promising for eclipse watchers.
But the country's weather story was sharply divided. While the eastern half of the nation prepared for clear skies, a stormy pattern was moving in from the west and north. The Northern Plains and Far Western states faced widespread clouds and rain. In the highest elevations of southern Montana, Idaho, and Nevada, snow was expected. The Sierra Nevada range in California was bracing for the heaviest accumulation—a foot or more in some areas. For people in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, the eclipse would remain invisible behind the clouds.
A smaller disturbance hovering over the nation's midsection threatened to spoil the view for parts of Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and the Texas Panhandle with clouds, showers, and possible thunder. The Piedmont region of the Southeast and the Columbia Plateau of eastern Washington and the Great Basin of Oregon and western Idaho might catch occasional glimpses through breaks in the clouds, though no one could count on it.
For those locked out by weather on Election Day morning, the wait for another chance would be long. North America wouldn't see another total lunar eclipse until the early morning hours of March 14, 2025. The forecast was a reminder that celestial events don't wait for perfect conditions—they happen on their own schedule, and whether you saw this one depended largely on where you lived and what the atmosphere decided to do.
Notable Quotes
For those locked out by weather, the wait for another total lunar eclipse visible from North America would stretch nearly three years until March 2025.— Weather forecast analysis
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