Eclipse anticipation goes sky high
But viewers in some cities might have to deal with clouds
Millions of people will tilt their heads skyward Monday, marveling at a total solar eclipse. The moon will cross the sun and block its light for a few fleeting moments, creating a communal celestial experience that will not again be so accessible to people in the United States, Canada or Mexico for decades.
The total solar eclipse’s path — the expanse where the moon fully obscures the sun — stretches from Mexico’s Pacific coast to the fringes of Atlantic Canada, passing through dozens of major cities where authorities are preparing for an influx of visitors eager to experience what may be a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity.
In New York, signs along the Thruway urged travelers to “Arrive Early, Stay Late” to avoid the inevitable jams that will clog routes to and from prime viewing areas.
Closer to Niagara Falls, which is in the path of totality, the second half of the message switched to a more realistic “Expect Delays.”
It will be the first total solar eclipse visible from the United States since 2017, and there will not be another visible in the lower 48 states until 2044. On Monday, much of the country is expected to take in the view. In 2017, a majority of American adults watched the eclipse in person, according to an estimate by Jon D. Miller, a research scientist at the University of Michigan. The figure, 154 million, is far beyond the audience of even the most-watched Super
Bowl (123.4 million this year). And the path of totality for Monday’s eclipse crosses over more than twice the number of people as did 2017’s.
Many eclipse-gazers are anxiously checking the weather forecast. National Weather Service forecasters said Sunday morning that nearly everyone along the path in the United States will have at
least some chance of clouds obscuring their view.
Forecasters said there is a high likelihood of clouds in central Texas and had a growing concern about severe storms across much of the state. They saw grounds for optimism in Little Rock, Arkansas, and the outlook for Cleveland was improving. But from there to Buffalo, New York, much remains uncertain, and the picture may not become clearer until hours before the eclipse.
One exception is Maine, where the agency’s forecaster said people had “scored a nearly perfect day” to view the eclipse.
Cities across the country have canceled school, and millions of protective glasses are being distributed or sold. Scientists have warned people to never look directly at the sun without protective eyewear because serious retinal injuries can occur.
A wealth of special events are planned across North America, including street parties in Mexico, a study of animals at an Indianapolis zoo and an eclipse display at Niagara Falls.
In Mazatlán, the coastal Mexico city that will be one of the first places where people can see the eclipse from land, hotels are at capacity, cruise ships are offering special eclipse experiences, and the seaside promenade is teeming with tourists.
Authorities said they are expecting about 120,000 people. The few hotel rooms available were going for triple or quadruple normal rates.
“This is where the eclipse hits land,” said Greg Schmidt, director of NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute, who arrived in Mazatlán several days ago with a team that will livestream the eclipse.
Schmidt selected Mazatlán about two years ago as his team’s site for following the eclipse. He sounded sanguine about the choice; weather forecasts are favorable for high cirrus clouds.
“We should at least be able to see totality through that,” he said. Eric Isaacs, president of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, which was hosting a three-day fest of science and sightseeing in Dallas, said the group’s viewing location had already been shifted to a mansion where people would be able to gather inside if they needed to get out of the rain.
In Buffalo, amateur astronomer Martin Penkala, 60, wouldn’t let a gloomy weather forecast interfere with his excitement.
“We will still see the total darkening for three minutes,” he said at an eclipse-inspired concert Saturday night at the Buffalo Philharmonic. “That will be stupendous!”
Closer to the end of the eclipse’s path, Canada’s Niagara region declared a state of emergency 10 days before the event, allowing officials to expedite safety and police resources if needed.
The emergency declaration added to the mild sense of panic that has settled over Niagara Falls and several large cities within a two-hour drive, including Hamilton and Toronto.
In Indianapolis, which is in the path of totality, officials at the city’s zoo plan to distribute as many as 10,000 pairs of eclipse glasses to visitors and have ensured that the zoo’s automatic lights will not turn on when the sky darkens.
“We absolutely cannot have the lights go on and ruin the atmosphere,” said Emily Garrett, a zoo spokesperson.
Alicia Bonanno, an operations coordinator in charge of several parts of the zoo, including the macaw area, said she couldn’t wait to find out how the macaws would react to the eclipse.
“The disturbance in air pressure might cause them to fly around because they feel like it’s going to storm,” she said as the birds squawked in the enclosure in front of her. “But what they actually do during totality might be different. They could just tuck in for the night. We’ll just have to see.”