19 replies to this topic

[djp183]

So we are in Niagara Falls. Looking at windy, it seems that there are no clear spots anywhere along the path within a 4-hour drive. Plattsburgh is 7 hours and I’d consider it, but even it has high clouds right now. Guess I’m stuck for a nice Falls vacation this time, but nothing else?

Edited by djp183, 07 April 2024 - 08:30 AM.

[tommyboy]

Not that I can see. I'm in Watertown and today is gorgeous but tomorrow is predicted to be closed out. I'll head east in the morning but how far I'll need to go...who knows.

[djp183]

Good luck - at least your starting point is closer! 
 

 

Not that I can see. I'm in Watertown and today is gorgeous but tomorrow is predicted to be closed out. I'll head east in the morning but how far I'll need to go...who knows.

[Frisk]

Good luck everyone!

[djp183]

Malone village is 5ish hours and has 30% high clouds same as Plattsburgh. Might try that..

[joofcorn]

Might also consider the other way into Northwest Ohio and eat Indiana to keep your options open. From Buffalo NY to Sandusky OH is under 4hrs (under normal traffic conditions). Other than NH, Vermont, and Maine, nothing seems like a sure bet.

[WadeH237]

A total solar eclipse is the one of the biggest "right place at the right time" situations you will ever get.

 

In this case, you are competing with literally millions of other people trying to be in the right place at the right time.  Complicating that, the weather makes it impossible to predict the "right place" part with certainty.

 

I am currently at an organized eclipse event (with a lousy forecast) and listened to a speaker yesterday who is one of the foremost eclipse chasers in the world (he owns the eclipse2024.org site).  He was telling us about some of his experiences with hopping in the car literally minutes ahead of totality to avoid a passing cloud from obscuring the sun, and counting down seconds on his watch to figure out when to pull over and jump out of the car.

 

It was all very exciting, but I don't have the stomach for that at all.

 

For must of us, the best thing to do is to make the best decision we can.  It might work out, and it might not.  Life can be like that.

 

He did offer this advice:  He said (paraphrased) that even if you do get clouded out, you will still come away from it with an interesting story to tell, and there is value to that.

[Raginar]

Agree with wade. While those 4 minutes are cool; there’s value in the effort. Even if it’s clouded out.

[Raginar]

Agree with wade. While those 4 minutes are cool; there’s value in the effort. Even if it’s clouded out.

[Diana N]

And even if the actual eclipse is clouded out, you will still see the darkness at midday, feel the temperature drop, etc. So it is not entirely a wasted effort. Like all, special events in astronomy, sometimes you draw the short straw. At least with an eclipse, there is a potential to try again in the future (unlike such things as witnessing a transit of Venus or an unusually strong auroral display).

[Rich_W]

A total solar eclipse is the one of the biggest "right place at the right time" situations you will ever get.

 

In this case, you are competing with literally millions of other people trying to be in the right place at the right time.  Complicating that, the weather makes it impossible to predict the "right place" part with certainty.

 

I am currently at an organized eclipse event (with a lousy forecast) and listened to a speaker yesterday who is one of the foremost eclipse chasers in the world (he owns the eclipse2024.org site).  He was telling us about some of his experiences with hopping in the car literally minutes ahead of totality to avoid a passing cloud from obscuring the sun, and counting down seconds on his watch to figure out when to pull over and jump out of the car.

 

It was all very exciting, but I don't have the stomach for that at all.

 

For must of us, the best thing to do is to make the best decision we can.  It might work out, and it might not.  Life can be like that.

 

He did offer this advice:  He said (paraphrased) that even if you do get clouded out, you will still come away from it with an interesting story to tell, and there is value to that.

This is wisdom.  We chose to locate in Erie for this event, where our son could join us. It's not practical for various reasons for us  to hit the roads at this point so we'll be sticking it out here. It looks very likely to be a cloud-out. Yet Accuweather still says "clouds and breaks of sun," so what the heck, why not cling to hope.  Anyhow, whatever it turns out to be, we're here.

[Bubbagumps]

And don't forget that an eclipse is more than the few minutes of totality. That four minutes is only a very small portion of the whole event.

 

Totality is what people come to see but there is also the pre and post game entertainment that proceeds the main event. You will have over two hours to view the eclipse in it's various stages. As long as it's not completely overcast, it is probable that you will see at least some of the show as clouds break over the sun at times. 

[tommyboy]

Clouds already taking over here in Watertown. Going East although do-able no longer looks reasonable unless I try to get to Burlington Vt. SW to Ohio is just as unreasonable so I guess I'm staying put.

Edited by tommyboy, 08 April 2024 - 08:01 AM.

[WadeH237]

Clouds already taking over here.

And where is "here"?

[Drothgeb]

Don’t give up hope. I’ve been chasing eclipse for many, many years. Sometimes the weather does funny things around the total phase. I’ve been to a couple, where it was cloudy. Then minutes before the total phase, the clouds parted, and I had a perfect view. We were in Aruba in 98. It’s a desert island, but it was pouring rain just minutes before the total phase. Rain stopped, and clouds parted seconds before the diamond ring phase.

 

My wife and I traveled from MD to SW Arkansas in a camper. We went through 3 different tornado warnings on the way. And forecast has been terrible for the campground we’re at the whole time we were on the road. Now, after getting up this morning and checking Windy.com, things actually look pretty good for this spot.

 

You never know, don’t give up. 

[RMay]

We are in Austin and it is completely socked in. We are heading to Johnson City later, but I don’t expect much of an improvement.

Ron

[tommyboy]

And where is "here"?

Watertown NY

[tommyboy]

Don’t give up hope. I’ve been chasing eclipse for many, many years. Sometimes the weather does funny things around the total phase. I’ve been to a couple, where it was cloudy. Then minutes before the total phase, the clouds parted, and I had a perfect view. We were in Aruba in 98. It’s a desert island, but it was pouring rain just minutes before the total phase. Rain stopped, and clouds parted seconds before the diamond ring phase.

 

My wife and I traveled from MD to SW Arkansas in a camper. We went through 3 different tornado warnings on the way. And forecast has been terrible for the campground we’re at the whole time we were on the road. Now, after getting up this morning and checking Windy.com, things actually look pretty good for this spot.

 

You never know, don’t give up. 

True. If I get closed out I'm going to go to the local zoo and see if the animals react to the eclipse even if it's not fully visible.

[Bryguy]

We are in Austin and it is completely socked in. We are heading to Johnson City later, but I don’t expect much of an improvement.

Ron

Foggy here in between Fredericksburg and Stonewall. I can now see the sun breaking through. Hopefully,  the sun will soon burn off the fog.

[Drothgeb]

A total solar eclipse is the one of the biggest "right place at the right time" situations you will ever get.

 

In this case, you are competing with literally millions of other people trying to be in the right place at the right time.  Complicating that, the weather makes it impossible to predict the "right place" part with certainty.

 

I am currently at an organized eclipse event (with a lousy forecast) and listened to a speaker yesterday who is one of the foremost eclipse chasers in the world (he owns the eclipse2024.org site).  He was telling us about some of his experiences with hopping in the car literally minutes ahead of totality to avoid a passing cloud from obscuring the sun, and counting down seconds on his watch to figure out when to pull over and jump out of the car.

 

It was all very exciting, but I don't have the stomach for that at all.

 

For must of us, the best thing to do is to make the best decision we can.  It might work out, and it might not.  Life can be like that.

 

He did offer this advice:  He said (paraphrased) that even if you do get clouded out, you will still come away from it with an interesting story to tell, and there is value to that.

Another eclipse story (I have many).

 

For the 2017 eclipse, we were at a park on a lake across from a nuclear power plant in Tennessee. It was a huge event, and thousands of people were there. Just before the partial phase started, the power plant started emitting steam. The skies were crystal clear otherwise. As time went on, the steam cloud grew. About a half hour before the total phase, I realized the total phase was going to be directly behind the steam. So my wife and I grabbed everything, threw it in the trunk, and barely managed to get out of the park. We drove a little more than a mile, and had a perfect view. Everyone that stayed in the park, got steam clouded out.

 

Seriously, what are the odds?? I felt so bad for them, it was such a perfect day otherwise.

 

For eclipses, I developed and stick to my plan. But I do build in a little flexibility in case I need to tweak it at the very end. I’m not willing to drive hours the day of. But sometimes a mile or two can make a big difference.