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- A lunar eclipse, the 'blood worm moon,' will occur over Utah late Thursday and early Friday.
- Cloud cover from a passing storm, however, may hinder visibility for most Utahns.
- Southwest Utah has a fair chance of viewing; the next eclipse is in March 2026.
SALT LAKE CITY — A lunar eclipse will occur over Utah Thursday night and early Friday, as the so-called "blood worm moon" is slated to reach totality shortly after midnight.
Unfortunately for Utahns, a storm passing through the region may make it difficult to view in many parts of the state.
When to watch
A lunar eclipse happens when the moon moves into Earth's shadow, turning it into a reddish-orange color. That's how lunar eclipses got the nickname "blood moon," while the "worm moon" is the name for a full moon in March as a nod to the worms and bugs that return by this point in the year, as noted in the Old Farmer's Almanac.
The upcoming blood worm moon is a combination of the two, and it marks the first lunar eclipse visible in the U.S. since 2022.
This year's heavenly show will begin at 11:09 p.m. Thursday in Utah before totality is reached at 12:26 a.m. Friday, according to space.com. The outlet notes totality will remain in place for a little over an hour, with "maximum eclipse" taking place shortly before 1 a.m. The last remaining partial eclipse will end at 2:47 a.m.
Where to watch in Utah
The timing couldn't be any worse for Utah, as a winter storm is passing through the state. Clouds will likely cover 85% or more of the Wasatch Front skies through the duration of the lunar eclipse, per the National Weather Service's cloud-cover forecast, updated Thursday morning.
The same goes for many other parts of the state. But the outlook does provide hope for some areas. For instance, cloud cover could drop to near 50% in parts of the West Desert and less than 40% near St. George by the height of the eclipse.
It's why space.com listed a chunk of southwest Utah as having a "fair" chance at seeing the eclipse while most of the state is listed as having a "poor" chance in its viewing guide posted Thursday.
Per the weather service, cloud cover from 11 p.m. Thursday to 2 a.m. Friday could look like this:
- Cedar City: 90%
- Eastern Utah (multiple cities): 90% to 100%
- Lake Powell: 50% to 90%
- Northern Utah (multiple cities): 80% to 95%
- Price: 90% to 95%
- St. George: 35% to 75%
- Tooele: 90% to 95%
- Wasatch Front (multiple cities): 85% to 100%
- Wasatch Back (multiple cities): 90% to 95%
- Wendover: 55% to 90%
There are some caveats with this forecast. Cloud cover can be lighter or stronger than what's listed, and the forecast doesn't indicate where clouds will be in the sky. Even if cloud cover is only 30%, it could still hide the moon during the middle of the eclipse.
The next lunar eclipse over Utah is projected to occur on March 3, 2026.
