Met Office maps show solar eclipse will be most visible in 42 counties – full list

Met Office maps show solar eclipse will be most visible in 42 counties – full list New weather maps have revealed the best spots to catch a glimpse of the solar eclipse in the UK on Wednesday - where dozens of counties will enjoy clear skies The UK is bracing for a historic solar eclipse on Wednesday, considered to be the most significant in decades. On August 12, more than 90% of the sun will be blocked by the moon between 6.17pm and 8.06pm, leaving a narrow slip of the earth covered in darkness. While parts of Europe will get to see the eclipse in its totality, the UK will get just a glimpse - but still comes as the most the sun has ever been covered above our skies since the total eclipse witnessed in 1999. The next time the moon will cover this much of the sun for Brits will be decades away, in 2081, so many will be wanting to make the most of the occasion this Wednesday. The Met Office has shared a lit of the best spots to capture the event, with Devon, Cornwall and the westernmost parts of Pembrokeshire, where a range of 94% to 96% of the sun will be obscured by the moon, tipped as the top viewing locations. Birmingham is expected to seen 91.79% coverage at 7.12pm, 91.41% in London at 7.13pm, 90.74% in Inverness at 7.03pm, 90.71% in Edinburgh at 7.06pm and 90.22% in Newcastle at 7.07pm. Skygazers really keen to catch a sight of the fullest possible solar eclipse should avoid the easternmost parts of the UK, where only 88% to 90% of coverage is expected. These area include the coasts of Norfolk, Yorkshire and Aberdeenshire, as well as the Orkney and Shetland Islands. The forecast also shows which patches across the country is likely to fall under cloud cover, blocking keen skygazers from catching a glimpse of the eclipse. The cloud cover map at 7pm shows most of Scotland and Northern Ireland will fall under coverage, with only clear night skies predicted for most of the midlands and south of England. Patches of the north could have some cloud-free spots, like Newcastle, Preston and Sheffield, but Greater Manchester, Leeds Liverpool appear blanketed by cloud. However, it's good news for most of the Midlands downwards, where the east, south and west is almost entirely clear without a cloud in sight, including London. Full list of UK counties with clear skies for the solar eclipse England - Northumberland - Cumbria - Lancashire - East Riding of Yorkshire - South Yorkshire - Lincolnshire - Staffordshire - Derbyshire - Nottinghamshire - Norfolk - Suffolk - Leicestershire - Cambridgeshire - Rutland - Warwickshire - Worcestershire - Herefordshire - Shropshire - Northamptonshire - Bedfordshire - Oxfordshire - Berkshire - Greater London - Buckinghamshire - Hertfordshire - Essex - Gloucestershire - Wiltshire - Hampshire - Surrey - Kent - Somerset - Dorset - Devon - Cornwall Wales - Monmouthshire - Pembrokeshire - Carmarthenshire - Gwynedd - Anglesey Northern Ireland - County Londonderry - County Tyrone