Explanation of columns:

Percent of possible sunshine: the average number of daily sunshine hours recorded at the station for the month divided by the duration of daylight. This is the best estimate of the probability of seeing the eclipse. The value for Rarotonga does not seem to fit with the cloud observation (compare with Tahiti, for instance).

Sky condition: Clear means no cloud whatsoever, few means 1 or 2 oktas (eights) of sky cover, scattered means 3 or 4 oktas, broken means 5 to 7 oktas, and overcast means no sky visible at all. Obscured refers to a fog layer through which the sky cannot be seen; it is treated as overcast.

Calculated cloudiness: an average cloudiness derived from the frequency and sky cover in the sky condition columns.

July Precipitation: average monthly rainfall in mm.

% obs with rain at eclipse time: the frequency of observations with rain falling at the time of observation (within 2 hours of eclipse time).

% observations with visibility obstructions: the frequency of observations at which the visibility is less than 5 miles. Visibility obstructions include fog, haze, blowing snow and other similar events. This statistic also refers to a time at or within 2 hours of the eclipse time.

Prevailing wind: the most frequent wind direction during July. "Variable" suggests that no wind direction dominated. The number in brackets after each direction is the percent of time that the prevailing wind was observed.

Average high, low: average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for July in degrees C.