April 8, 2024 Total Solar Eclipse

[webny99]

I wonder what will happen to traffic if it's cloudy.

The drivers will be grumpier.

An appropriate response. Some daytrippers may be deterred if it's cloudy, but the majority of eclipse travelers, especially those that have already booked overnight stays, are probably going to take their chances unless it's pouring rain or blizzarding.

[webny99]

I've heard that some schools in this area are closing for the day, but ironically, it's the schools outside the path that should be closing to give their students an opportunity to travel into the path. Those in the path can watch it with their class, or change the bus schedule by an hour if it interferes with EOD. As a young kid, I would have actually preferred to watch it at school with friends, and it'd be a rare educational opportunity for the teachers too. But to live an hour or two from the path and have parents that make you to go to school that day would be a tough spot.

[vdeane]

I've heard that some schools in this area are closing for the day, but ironically, it's the schools outside the path that should be closing to give their students an opportunity to travel into the path. Those in the path can watch it with their class, or change the bus schedule by an hour if it interferes with EOD. As a young kid, I would have actually preferred to watch it at school with friends, and it'd be a rare educational opportunity for the teachers too. But to live an hour or two from the path and have parents that make you to go to school that day would be a tough spot.

Maybe they're concerned about the traffic.  3:20 would have been after the dismissal time for every school I went to growing up, though buses would probably still be running (or not yet left; my elementary school dismissed at 3:10, the latest in the district).

[Scott5114]

For 2017, the traffic jams out of the path of totality in Oregon were insane.

This time around I was planning to stick around in the Waco area until it dies down, but my trip mate booked a place in San Antonio...I am not looking forward to the multi-hour slog through Austin.

TX 130 is your friend.

[Rothman]

I've heard that some schools in this area are closing for the day, but ironically, it's the schools outside the path that should be closing to give their students an opportunity to travel into the path. Those in the path can watch it with their class, or change the bus schedule by an hour if it interferes with EOD. As a young kid, I would have actually preferred to watch it at school with friends, and it'd be a rare educational opportunity for the teachers too. But to live an hour or two from the path and have parents that make you to go to school that day would be a tough spot.

Maybe they're concerned about the traffic.  3:20 would have been after the dismissal time for every school I went to growing up, though buses would probably still be running (or not yet left; my elementary school dismissed at 3:10, the latest in the district).

^Bingo.  Exactly this.  School buses rolling around with young kids stuck in traffic is not good.  Stated outright by NYSDOT officials I've heard.

[kphoger]

For 2017, the traffic jams out of the path of totality in Oregon were insane.

This time around I was planning to stick around in the Waco area until it dies down, but my trip mate booked a place in San Antonio...I am not looking forward to the multi-hour slog through Austin.

TX 130 is your friend.

+1

No need to use I-35 south of Georgetown.  As long as you can use a toll tag or pay-by-plate.

[webny99]

I've heard that some schools in this area are closing for the day, but ironically, it's the schools outside the path that should be closing to give their students an opportunity to travel into the path. Those in the path can watch it with their class, or change the bus schedule by an hour if it interferes with EOD. As a young kid, I would have actually preferred to watch it at school with friends, and it'd be a rare educational opportunity for the teachers too. But to live an hour or two from the path and have parents that make you to go to school that day would be a tough spot.

Maybe they're concerned about the traffic.  3:20 would have been after the dismissal time for every school I went to growing up, though buses would probably still be running (or not yet left; my elementary school dismissed at 3:10, the latest in the district).

^Bingo.  Exactly this.  School buses rolling around with young kids stuck in traffic is not good.  Stated outright by NYSDOT officials I've heard.

Right, my main point was not that schools within the path shouldn't be closing (even though I presented some points in favor of it, I ultimately agree they should close), but that those outside the path should also be closing.

Timing is everything too - I could see traffic being a non-issue in rural Texas where the eclipse occurs around 1PM local time, not so much here in NY where the eclipse occurs around dismissal time and messing with that - moving it forward, or especially backward - has significant drawbacks too.

[CtrlAltDel]

For 2017, the traffic jams out of the path of totality in Oregon were insane.

This time around I was planning to stick around in the Waco area until it dies down, but my trip mate booked a place in San Antonio...I am not looking forward to the multi-hour slog through Austin.

TX 130 is your friend.

+1

No need to use I-35 south of Georgetown.  As long as you can use a toll tag or pay-by-plate.

On eclipse day, it will likely not be free-flowing, though.

[webny99]

...
TX 130 is your friend.

+1

No need to use I-35 south of Georgetown.  As long as you can use a toll tag or pay-by-plate.

On eclipse day, it will likely not be free-flowing, though.

I'm not sure what the toll rates are like on TX 130, but if they're prohibitive for some non-zero number of drivers, and considering that typical traffic on TX 130 is probably pretty light and moves at 80+ mph, you'd be surprised what it could take to cause significant congestion.

I recall a few months ago when a section ON 401 (the world's busiest freeway™) was shut down for a significant length of time due to a major accident west of Pickering, and the congestion on the local alternates was mind-blowing, yet ON 407, the very expensive toll road that runs parallel just 5 miles north, experienced only mild congestion even during the peak of rush hour... and that was the first time I'd ever seen or heard of congestion on the 407 outside of an incident on the 407 itself.

[CtrlAltDel]

...
TX 130 is your friend.

+1

No need to use I-35 south of Georgetown.  As long as you can use a toll tag or pay-by-plate.

On eclipse day, it will likely not be free-flowing, though.

I'm not sure what the toll rates are like on TX 130, but if they're prohibitive for some non-zero number of drivers, and considering that typical traffic on TX 130 is probably pretty light and moves at 80+ mph, you'd be surprised what it could take to cause significant congestion.

I recall a few months ago when a section ON 401 (the world's busiest freeway™) was shut down for a significant length of time due to a major accident west of Pickering, and the congestion on the local alternates was mind-blowing, yet ON 407, the very expensive toll road that runs parallel just 5 miles north, experienced only mild congestion even during the peak of rush hour... and that was the first time I'd ever seen or heard of congestion on the 407 outside of an incident on the 407 itself.

Fair enough, but traffic for the last eclipse was in most places at something of a higher degree and on more roads than that caused by an accident. And while the tolls on TX-130 are pretty pricey, it seems many people would be willing to pay a premium on eclipse day since it's something of a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I guess we'll find out for sure though in a little bit.

[kphoger]

I'm not sure what the toll rates are like on TX 130

I think it's about 18 bucks.

[webny99]

I'm not sure what the toll rates are like on TX 130

I think it's about 18 bucks.

For the entire length? If that's the case, I'll have to walk back my previous statement. ON 407 has a variable toll rate that works out to about $90 CDN ($67 USD) for a similar distance (94 miles end to end) during a typical weekday rush hour.

[algorerhythms]

...
TX 130 is your friend.

+1

No need to use I-35 south of Georgetown.  As long as you can use a toll tag or pay-by-plate.

On eclipse day, it will likely not be free-flowing, though.

I'm not sure what the toll rates are like on TX 130, but if they're prohibitive for some non-zero number of drivers, and considering that typical traffic on TX 130 is probably pretty light and moves at 80+ mph, you'd be surprised what it could take to cause significant congestion.

I recall a few months ago when a section ON 401 (the world's busiest freeway™) was shut down for a significant length of time due to a major accident west of Pickering, and the congestion on the local alternates was mind-blowing, yet ON 407, the very expensive toll road that runs parallel just 5 miles north, experienced only mild congestion even during the peak of rush hour... and that was the first time I'd ever seen or heard of congestion on the 407 outside of an incident on the 407 itself.

This is what makes the ON 413 proposal so silly. They plan to spend billions of dollars to build a bypass for the bypass that nobody uses because they don't want to pay the toll.

[webny99]

I am also increasingly concerned about the Niagara Peninsula, where typical traffic is horrible on summer/holiday weekends, all of Toronto having to get south of Burlington to see totality (or 2+ hours east to Belleville) sounds like a nightmare. The QEW/403/407 interchange is going to be carrying the weight of the world post-eclipse and there are ZERO good alternates, so it's almost impossible to see that going well. For anyone in Ontario that doesn't want to cross the border, I would honestly recommend going east instead, or west to at least Woodstock before heading south, so that at least you have the 401 as a viable return alternate.

On second thought, Sandbanks Provincial Park would be a pretty cool spot to watch the eclipse. It has over 3 minutes of totality and it's right on the lake facing southwest (almost perfect direction-wise for where the sun will be located), so I wouldn't be surprised if that park and Prince Edward County in general is really crowded too. I can also see Kingston/Thousand Islands being a major hot spot for the Ottawa area, so the 401 could absolutely have major issues heading both east and west from Kingston. If the former materializes, ON 15 is a reasonably quality northbound alternate for those heading to Ottawa. There's fewer good Toronto-bound alternates until you get to Highway 115. Even so, I'd chance it. There's almost no way it'll be as bad as the Niagara Peninsula.

[vdeane]

I am also increasingly concerned about the Niagara Peninsula, where typical traffic is horrible on summer/holiday weekends, all of Toronto having to get south of Burlington to see totality (or 2+ hours east to Belleville) sounds like a nightmare. The QEW/403/407 interchange is going to be carrying the weight of the world post-eclipse and there are ZERO good alternates, so it's almost impossible to see that going well. For anyone in Ontario that doesn't want to cross the border, I would honestly recommend going east instead, or west to at least Woodstock before heading south, so that at least you have the 401 as a viable return alternate.

On second thought, Sandbanks Provincial Park would be a pretty cool spot to watch the eclipse. It has over 3 minutes of totality and it's right on the lake facing southwest (almost perfect direction-wise for where the sun will be located), so I wouldn't be surprised if that park and Prince Edward County in general is really crowded too. I can also see Kingston/Thousand Islands being a major hot spot for the Ottawa area, so the 401 could absolutely have major issues heading both east and west from Kingston. If the former materializes, ON 15 is a reasonably quality northbound alternate for those heading to Ottawa. There's fewer good Toronto-bound alternates until you get to Highway 115. Even so, I'd chance it. There's almost no way it'll be as bad as the Niagara Peninsula.

Too bad the fast ferry isn't still around.

[Rothman]

I am also increasingly concerned about the Niagara Peninsula, where typical traffic is horrible on summer/holiday weekends, all of Toronto having to get south of Burlington to see totality (or 2+ hours east to Belleville) sounds like a nightmare. The QEW/403/407 interchange is going to be carrying the weight of the world post-eclipse and there are ZERO good alternates, so it's almost impossible to see that going well. For anyone in Ontario that doesn't want to cross the border, I would honestly recommend going east instead, or west to at least Woodstock before heading south, so that at least you have the 401 as a viable return alternate.

On second thought, Sandbanks Provincial Park would be a pretty cool spot to watch the eclipse. It has over 3 minutes of totality and it's right on the lake facing southwest (almost perfect direction-wise for where the sun will be located), so I wouldn't be surprised if that park and Prince Edward County in general is really crowded too. I can also see Kingston/Thousand Islands being a major hot spot for the Ottawa area, so the 401 could absolutely have major issues heading both east and west from Kingston. If the former materializes, ON 15 is a reasonably quality northbound alternate for those heading to Ottawa. There's fewer good Toronto-bound alternates until you get to Highway 115. Even so, I'd chance it. There's almost no way it'll be as bad as the Niagara Peninsula.

And then the chances of it being cloudy are high...

[webny99]

I found the coolest interactive eclipse map this weekend, but was browsing in incognito and now I can't find it. It had lines for every 15 seconds of totality, which was cool to see how narrow the bands start out and widen towards the centerline. It wasn't a generic eclipse site since I've searched everything I can think of trying to find it. I think I was looking up parks and places to view the eclipse and stumbled onto it somehow. It also had known eclipse events listed in pink and known/recommended parks within the path listed in green.

In short... if anyone knows what I'm talking about or finds it, please share! 

[webny99]

I found the coolest interactive eclipse map this weekend, but was browsing in incognito and now I can't find it. It had lines for every 15 seconds of totality, which was cool to see how narrow the bands start out and widen towards the centerline. It wasn't a generic eclipse site since I've searched everything I can think of trying to find it. I think I was looking up parks and places to view the eclipse and stumbled onto it somehow. It also had known eclipse events listed in pink and known/recommended parks within the path listed in green.

In short... if anyone knows what I'm talking about or finds it, please share! 

Found it via a Forbes article of all things:

https://theeclipse.company/map/2024-total-eclipse

[7/8]

I found the coolest interactive eclipse map this weekend, but was browsing in incognito and now I can't find it. It had lines for every 15 seconds of totality, which was cool to see how narrow the bands start out and widen towards the centerline. It wasn't a generic eclipse site since I've searched everything I can think of trying to find it. I think I was looking up parks and places to view the eclipse and stumbled onto it somehow. It also had known eclipse events listed in pink and known/recommended parks within the path listed in green.

In short... if anyone knows what I'm talking about or finds it, please share! 

Found it via a Forbes article of all things:

https://theeclipse.company/map/2024-total-eclipse

Thanks for sharing!

I'm still undecided on what I'll do for 2024. The eclipse path comes pretty close to Kitchener, but early April doesn't have the best outlook weather-wise. Also, the eclipse would be a good reason for me to visit Mexico for the first time. Luckily I still have time to think about it.

I decided I will try my luck near home, even though the odds aren't great (average cloud cover around 70%). I figure if it doesn't work out, there's options in 2026 and 2027 (the latter being an especially sunny route with long totality). For this eclipse, there's several spots along the north shore of Lake Erie that can work. Long Point in particular is nice for maximizing the duration of totality and it faces S/SW.

Surprisingly, I'm still the only one to book the day off at my office, and totality is less than an hour from Kitchener!

[algorerhythms]

I found the coolest interactive eclipse map this weekend, but was browsing in incognito and now I can't find it. It had lines for every 15 seconds of totality, which was cool to see how narrow the bands start out and widen towards the centerline. It wasn't a generic eclipse site since I've searched everything I can think of trying to find it. I think I was looking up parks and places to view the eclipse and stumbled onto it somehow. It also had known eclipse events listed in pink and known/recommended parks within the path listed in green.

In short... if anyone knows what I'm talking about or finds it, please share! 

Found it via a Forbes article of all things:

https://theeclipse.company/map/2024-total-eclipse

Thanks for sharing!

I'm still undecided on what I'll do for 2024. The eclipse path comes pretty close to Kitchener, but early April doesn't have the best outlook weather-wise. Also, the eclipse would be a good reason for me to visit Mexico for the first time. Luckily I still have time to think about it.

I decided I will try my luck near home, even though the odds aren't great (average cloud cover around 70%). I figure if it doesn't work out, there's options in 2026 and 2027 (the latter being an especially sunny route with long totality). For this eclipse, there's several spots along the north shore of Lake Erie that can work. Long Point in particular is nice for maximizing the duration of totality and it faces S/SW.

Surprisingly, I'm still the only one to book the day off at my office, and totality is less than an hour from Kitchener!

I'm planning on going towards Brantford or Simcoe. I'm not too worried if it turns out to be cloudy, since I got a perfect view of the 2017 eclipse (from the parking lot of a church in Chester, Illinois).

[epzik8]

I just found out I'll still have 80% totality here in Maryland. Guess most of the media coverage is only focusing on the path of complete totality and thus I never bothered to look into what my own view of it would entail.

[webny99]

I'm still undecided on what I'll do for 2024. The eclipse path comes pretty close to Kitchener, but early April doesn't have the best outlook weather-wise. Also, the eclipse would be a good reason for me to visit Mexico for the first time. Luckily I still have time to think about it.

I decided I will try my luck near home, even though the odds aren't great (average cloud cover around 70%). I figure if it doesn't work out, there's options in 2026 and 2027 (the latter being an especially sunny route with long totality). For this eclipse, there's several spots along the north shore of Lake Erie that can work. Long Point in particular is nice for maximizing the duration of totality and it faces S/SW.

Surprisingly, I'm still the only one to book the day off at my office, and totality is less than an hour from Kitchener!

I've wondered to what extent being located outside the path reduces/changes the news coverage around the eclipse. There's no way anyone here in Rochester could not know about the eclipse by now - between school closings, reports of booked hotels and soaring prices, museums and parks hosting viewing events, local shops selling eclipse glasses, and even large scale advertising at the ROC airport, it's a huge deal and coverage has perpetuated to even the most tuned-out locals. Most of that doesn't apply to places outside the path, so it's possible that people could still not realize it's coming and how close it is, or even think that a deep partial eclipse is close enough and not realize it would still be worth traveling into the path.

Agreed that the north shore of Lake Erie would be prime. We're not that lucky with Lake Ontario - cloud cover is often lessened over the lake, but being on the south shore, finding a clear view to the southwest (away from the lake) is trickier than it sounds. The east shore would be good though - if it wasn't such a rare opportunity to experience an eclipse at home, I'd be thinking of heading to Sandy Island Beach or Southwick.

[webny99]

I just found out I'll still have 80% totality here in Maryland. Guess most of the media coverage is only focusing on the path of complete totality and thus I never bothered to look into what my own view of it would entail.

The reason being that the experience is not proportional to the percentage of coverage. The experience of 100% is a lot more than 20% better than 80%.

I experienced close to 80% (75% to be exact) during the 2017 eclipse. It was interesting to view the crescent of the sun through eclipse glasses but pretty forgettable other than that, although the lighting/shadows were also strange for a while.

[oscar]

As I mentioned ahead of the 2017 solar eclipse, Isaac Asimov wrote a short story about a solar eclipse called "Nightfall". That was set on a planet in a six-sun system, where at least one sun is always in the sky ... except once every 4000 years or so, when five of the suns are below the horizon, and then the sixth is totally eclipsed.

People went bat-shit crazy on those occasions. Not so much that almost nobody had ever experienced total darkness, as their shock at what they unexpectedly saw in the sky during the total eclipse.

As for my own plans for this year's eclipse, I intend to dodge the eclipse like I did in 2017. Doesn't help that, unlike in 2017 when I was out west anyway, the most predictably clear skies in the totality path will be in Mazatlan, Mexico. I might feel differently if I lived in the totality path, and could just let the eclipse come to me, even with no assurance the weather will cooperate.

[webny99]

As for my own plans for this year's eclipse, I intend to dodge the eclipse like I did in 2017. Doesn't help that, unlike in 2017 when I was out west anyway, the most predictably clear skies in the totality path will be in Mazatlan, Mexico. I might feel differently if I lived in the totality path, and could just let the eclipse come to me, even with no assurance the weather will cooperate.

Assuming you will be in Virginia, I don't see a convenient option to drive to the path. Probably 6-7 hours minimum. The Dansville-Mount Morris area wouldn't be too bad of a run and avoids big cities unless you count Harrisburg, but it is too bad CSVT isn't open yet.