Eclipse watchers are keeping an eye on the weather ahead of a solar eclipse that will plunge a wide strip of North America into daytime darkness on Monday.

Forecasters are predicting cloudy conditions in northern Mexico, Texas, and parts of the Great Lakes region.

Better weather is expected in western Mexico and parts of the US Midwest.

And some of the best views are likely to be under clear spring skies in New England and Canada.

Starting in the Pacific Ocean, the eclipse will be visible on the coast of Mexico near the city of Mazatlan at approximately 11:07 local time.

The shadow of the Moon will traverse the Earth at a speed of 1,500 mph (2,400 km/h) - tracing a northeastward arc through the states of Durango and Coahuila before casting parts of Texas, Arkansas, and neighboring states into darkness.

As the path crosses the US Midwest, a phenomenon known as totality - when the Sun is completely obscured by the Moon - will pass over the cities of Indianapolis, Cleveland, and Buffalo.

Around 15:18 Eastern time, the eclipse will reach Niagara Falls, where a record crowd of up to a million people is expected to gather to watch the mist from the famous waterfall take on a pinkish hue - provided the weather cooperates.

The shadow will continue to travel northeast through the New England states and into Canada's Maritime provinces before tracking into the Atlantic Ocean and ending at 20:55 British Summer Time.

Here is a breakdown of when totality will occur in US and Canadian cities, all in local time:

• San Antonio, Texas: 13:33 Central
• Dallas, Texas: 13:40 Central
• Carbondale, Illinois: 13:59 Central
• Cleveland, Ohio: 15:13 Eastern
• Buffalo, New York: 15:18 Eastern
• Burlington, Vermont: 15:26 Eastern
• Montreal, Quebec: 15:27 Eastern
• Fredericton, New Brunswick: 16:33 Atlantic
• Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador: 17:12 Newfoundland time

Special events, festivals, and even mass weddings will take place in cities along the path.

Improved weather was expected at the end of the eclipse in Vermont and Maine, as well as in New Brunswick and Newfoundland.

It promised to be the largest eclipse crowd in North America to date, thanks to the densely populated path and the attraction of over four minutes of midday darkness in Texas and other prominent locations. Almost everyone in North America was guaranteed at least a partial eclipse, weather permitting.