Yes. If you can see the Sun’s disc through the clouds, you are looking at it, and none of the safety rules we follow (from Spain’s National Geographic Institute, the IGN; the American Astronomical Society, the AAS; and NASA) makes an exception for clouds: an EN ISO 12312-2 filter through all the partial phases, off only during totality. In Tarifa, that means no filter only from 10:45:11 to 10:49:38 Spanish time (CEST, UTC+2). Clouds also move, and a gap can uncover the Sun without warning. And if you are in the path of totality, you will notice totality even under a cloudy sky: it gets dark suddenly, at around 10:46-10:51 depending on the place.
What the rules say
The three sources we follow say it without conditions. The AAS: outside totality there is no moment when it is safe to look directly at the Sun without an EN ISO 12312-2 filter. NASA: you can only look without protection when the Moon completely covers the Sun’s bright face. The IGN: totality is the only phase when you can look without eclipse glasses.
None of the three mentions clouds as an exception. The only exception the rule allows is totality, so, clouds or no clouds, you have to wear your glasses to look.
Why a cloud doesn’t work as a filter
Light that looks soft isn’t necessarily safe. Ralph Chou’s eye-safety report, published by the AAS, explains this with the eclipse itself: with 99% of the Sun covered, the sliver that remains can still damage the retina, even when the light around you is like twilight and it seems you could look without a filter. That damage doesn’t hurt and may only show up hours later, so there is no warning to rely on. A cloud in front works the same way: the Sun looks dimmer, but no cloud is made to filter it and you can’t know how much light it lets through from one moment to the next.
Clouds also move: a thin cloud that is dimming the Sun now can drift away in a few seconds and leave you looking at the bright crescent unprotected, which doesn’t matter if your glasses are on.
What can happen is that the cloud is so thick you can’t see anything through your glasses. Then there is nothing to look at: wait for it to pass, look at the landscape or the live stream, but don’t take your glasses off to search for the Sun among the clouds.
What you notice of totality under a cloudy sky
A lot. NASA says so in its guide to total eclipses: you need a clear sky to see everything, the Sun and the Moon, but the strange darkness in the middle of the day is noticeable with clouds too. The AAS adds that under a partly or heavily clouded sky, totality is even darker than under a blue one.
What you won’t see is the corona or Baily’s beads if the cloud covers the Sun. On the other hand, with high cloud you may see the shadow itself: the AAS publishes a photo of totality in Uganda taken with an iPhone, in which the Moon’s shadow appears as a dark area on the high clouds, centred on the Sun.
The times for your spot tell you when. In the path, darkness arrives with second contact and leaves with third contact:
| Town | Totality (IGN) | It gets dark (C2) | Light returns (C3) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarifa | 4 min 38 s | 10:45:11 | 10:49:39 |
| Cádiz | 2 min 54 s | 10:45:24 | 10:48:20 |
| Málaga | 1 min 49 s | 10:48:08 | 10:50:03 |
| Melilla | 4 min 34 s | 10:48:12 | 10:52:48 |
Mainland Spanish time; these are our times, and the IGN’s come about ten seconds earlier. If the sky is clear and you are going to take your glasses off, use the safe window we explain in when to take off your eclipse glasses during totality.
Before the day, check the sky
For the southern path, the IGN describes a low probability of cloud in August, somewhat higher in the west of Cádiz province because of the humid air that comes in from the Atlantic. The forecast for the day itself arrives only a few days ahead: the forecast from the ECMWF (the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) for the morning of the eclipse is published from the 27 July 2027 run onwards, and that same night you’ll find it on our weather page (in Spanish).
Clouds or no clouds, the list doesn’t change: glasses for looking. On Order your glasses you can ask for ours: cardboard, with the EN ISO 12312-2 certificate, along with the phone filter and packs for groups. We reply with the price and the delivery time.
Sources: AAS — Eyewear & Handheld Viewers (EN ISO 12312-2 filter at all times except totality); NASA — Eclipse Viewing Safety (no protection only when the Moon completely covers the Sun’s bright face); IGN — Qué se ve en un eclipse total (in Spanish: totality, the only phase without glasses); B. Ralph Chou — Solar Eclipse Eye Safety, technical report published by the AAS (at 99% the Sun still damages the retina even if the light seems like twilight; the damage doesn’t hurt and appears hours later); NASA — What to Expect (the darkness is noticeable with clouds too); AAS — How Dark Does It Get During a Total Solar Eclipse? (with clouds, totality is darker); AAS — How to Shoot Solar-Eclipse Images & Videos (the Uganda photo with the shadow on high clouds); IGN — Información meteorológica (in Spanish: low probability of cloud in the path, somewhat higher in the west of Cádiz province); times and the date of the first forecast: eclipseando data (skyfield engine + DE440s; ECMWF forecast); durations: IGN.
If you would like something to keep from the eclipse, the shop prints T-shirts, mugs and posters with the name of your town, the time of its maximum and its seconds of totality. See the merchandise →
Remember: never look at the Sun without proper eye protection (filters made to EN ISO 12312-2). The official reference for safe viewing in Spain is the IGN (in Spanish): eclipses.ign.es.