Expert: Harry Hayfield - 7/24/2010

Question
Seeing a total solar eclipse is in the top ten of my "bucket list," a list of things I'd love to do before I die.
If I can make it until the 2017 eclipse in the US, I need some good information. Where would we see the longest duration of totality? My brother is going to Wyoming on the advice of a professional astronomer, his wife's brother, but doesn't know why. Many of my friends want to go to Kentucky. Again, I don't know why. As I live near Dallas, the drive to Kentucky would be shorter, but I've never seen Wyoming, and it might be a tad cooler in Wyoming. Is there any way of getting a _rough_ idea of the odds of rainy weather for August in those areas along the path of totality? Any advice you could give me would be _tremendously_ appreciated.

Answer
According to Weather.com, in August, Cheyenne has less than 2 inches of rain (suggesting an average rainfall of 0.06 inches per day), this compares to Lexington which has about 4 inches of rain (0.12 inches per day). This would suggest that Wyoming (2 mins 26 secs) is the much better option for you (despite the distance)