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OT: The April 8th Eclipse - Put in Zip Code to See How Much You'll (not) See

We'll be heading just east of Boone NC to visit App State's Dark Sky Observatory in Purlear NC, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Viewing event starts at 2 pm. Looks like 3:15 is "peak" here, about an 85% eclipse. Our last eclipse experience was in 2017. We were headed to Franklin NC for a total eclipse, but traffic was so bad, we took it in atop Max Patch. Not total there but eery nonetheless. Remember vividly birds swarming/flocking in unison at the moment of eclipse as skies darkened.

https://dso.appstate.edu/public-access
 
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Sitting here in geneva ny and it's great out right now. Hopefully it holds for tomorrow.
 
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I'm a little northwest of Albany, plan was to drive 2 hours further north tomorrow to an observatory in the Adirondacks, but the forecast isn't looking good there. Gonna try to get up early and head into northern Vermont. Some of the darkest skies on the East Coast are about an hour north of here, so I'm planning on taking my telescope out tonight to check out some galaxies and stuff that can't be seen from Central Jersey. That'll at least be a small consolation prize if we aren't able to get far enough east tomorrow to avoid the clouds.
 
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In Northern VT (St. Albans) now. Probably heading to North Troy or Newport VT in the morning to try to maximize clear sky chances. Northern NH not out of the question if necessary. We shall see and adjust accordingly tomorrow. @RU848789 - you will love totality, so enjoy! Looking forward to your recap just like after each MBB game. The worst part of the day is the traffic after the eclipse. For folks not staying locally, what is normally a 4 hour drive will likely turn into a 8-10 hour drive. At least that was my experience in 2017 heading back to my 'base' in Dayton OH from Gallatin TN. Hoping for clear skies and no traffic headaches for all!!
 
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robcac26 said:
I'm a little northwest of Albany, plan was to drive 2 hours further north tomorrow to an observatory in the Adirondacks, but the forecast isn't looking good there. Gonna try to get up early and head into northern Vermont. Some of the darkest skies on the East Coast are about an hour north of here, so I'm planning on taking my telescope out tonight to check out some galaxies and stuff that can't be seen from Central Jersey. That'll at least be a small consolation prize if we aren't able to get far enough east tomorrow to avoid the clouds.
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Don't have time to go through all of this, but some of the high-resolution models have been showing the cloud cover in eastern NY and maybe VT to likely be high level cirrus, mostly, which may only affect the eclipse a bit, not totally obscure it. This guy (Tomer Burg) is a really good source on this stuff. Take a look. Further west in NY and SW of there into PA/OH is looking worse with more mid level clouds. And even people who saw totality under clouds still rave about how cool everything looked (other than the sun/moon of course). Good luck.

https://twitter.com/burgwx
 
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dazl said:
In Northern VT (St. Albans) now. Probably heading to North Troy or Newport VT in the morning to try to maximize clear sky chances. Northern NH not out of the question if necessary. We shall see and adjust accordingly tomorrow. @RU848789 - you will love totality, so enjoy! Looking forward to your recap just like after each MBB game. The worst part of the day is the traffic after the eclipse. For folks not staying locally, what is normally a 4 hour drive will likely turn into a 8-10 hour drive. At least that was my experience in 2017 heading back to my 'base' in Dayton OH from Gallatin TN. Hoping for clear skies and no traffic headaches for all!!
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Newport was my initial choice and is likely still good, but it's about the same distance for me to head to Pittsburg, NH, 45 miles east of Newport and at about the same level of totality - but more importantly that 45 miles east gives a bit of cushion should the high clouds move in earlier than expected. Many folks have warned of the post-eclipse traffic being the worst, as most folks leave at the same time.

Since we're in no rush, we'll likely just hang out for an hour or two before leaving, unless it doesn't look bad - Pittsburg is "only" expecting 5-6K, which likely wouldn't kill traffic down route 3, plus there are no significant towns for some 40-50 miles south of there, but maybe I'm being too optimistic. However, 93, south of Franconia could become a parking lot, as it goes to one lane each way for several miles through a very narrow area which couldn't support 2 lanes each way - but there are ways around that to our B&B w/o getting on an interstate. Enjoy!
 
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RU848789 said:
Don't have time to go through all of this, but some of the high-resolution models have been showing the cloud cover in eastern NY and maybe VT to likely be high level cirrus, mostly, which may only affect the eclipse a bit, not totally obscure it. This guy (Tomer Burg) is a really good source on this stuff. Take a look. Further west in NY and SW of there into PA/OH is looking worse with more mid level clouds. And even people who saw totality under clouds still rave about how cool everything looked (other than the sun/moon of course). Good luck.

https://twitter.com/burgwx
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I’ve been following Tomer on X for awhile now. He seems pretty sharp. DT recommended him as a “follow” a couple of years ago.
 
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dazl said:
I’ve been following Tomer on X for awhile now. He seems pretty sharp. DT recommended him as a “follow” a couple of years ago.
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He's very good - saw him posting a couple of years ago on 33andrain and then he mostly moved to Twitter.
 
RU848789 said:
Newport was my initial choice and is likely still good, but it's about the same distance for me to head to Pittsburg, NH, 45 miles east of Newport and at about the same level of totality - but more importantly that 45 miles east gives a bit of cushion should the high clouds move in earlier than expected. Many folks have warned of the post-eclipse traffic being the worst, as most folks leave at the same time.

Since we're in no rush, we'll likely just hang out for an hour or two before leaving, unless it doesn't look bad - Pittsburg is "only" expecting 5-6K, which likely wouldn't kill traffic down route 3, plus there are no significant towns for some 40-50 miles south of there, but maybe I'm being too optimistic. However, 93, south of Franconia could become a parking lot, as it goes to one lane each way for several miles through a very narrow area which couldn't support 2 lanes each way - but there are ways around that to our B&B w/o getting on an interstate. Enjoy!
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Pittsburg area seems to be out of the way for most people. You should be ok. I’m thinking Newport will be somwhat crowded given proximity to 91. But since I’m traveling “along” the totality line, I don’t expect a lot of traffic unless everyone from Plattsburgh and Burlington decide to head toward NH and then head back the same way!
 
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RU848789 said:
Newport was my initial choice and is likely still good, but it's about the same distance for me to head to Pittsburg, NH, 45 miles east of Newport and at about the same level of totality - but more importantly that 45 miles east gives a bit of cushion should the high clouds move in earlier than expected. Many folks have warned of the post-eclipse traffic being the worst, as most folks leave at the same time.

Since we're in no rush, we'll likely just hang out for an hour or two before leaving, unless it doesn't look bad - Pittsburg is "only" expecting 5-6K, which likely wouldn't kill traffic down route 3, plus there are no significant towns for some 40-50 miles south of there, but maybe I'm being too optimistic. However, 93, south of Franconia could become a parking lot, as it goes to one lane each way for several miles through a very narrow area which couldn't support 2 lanes each way - but there are ways around that to our B&B w/o getting on an interstate. Enjoy!
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Our plan keeps shifting east with the projected clouds coming in, looks like I'm aiming for Newport now. The shortest route would have us going east for a while from here (just north of I-90 between Albany and Utica) and then north on I-91, but I think a better plan is to wake up nice and early and go north into the path of totality first, and then make our way east basically along the Canadian border. If we get to Newport early enough, we may continue further east for more of a buffer zone from the clouds.
 
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Last cloud cover forecast post before we get on our way. The first one is the NBM total cloud cover and the 2nd is the HRRR which shows low-mid level (bad) vs. high level (not as bad) clouds - areas with mostly cirrus, high level clouds will likely still be able to see some/most of the eclipse even if filtered a bit, whereas areas with low-mid level clouds might not see anything unless they get a timely break in the clouds.

Both are forecasts for 3 pm, which is around totality (2:30 pm in TX to3:30 pm in the NE). Looks like the forecast for parts of TX through Ohio has improved, at least with regard to there likely only being high level clouds, although those areas aren't far from some mid-low level clouds and these forecasts have some uncertainty in them.

I also included the HRRR forecast for NENY and New England since many will be there - hopefully folks in the Lake Champlain area and NENY can escape the low/mid level clouds and it also shows why we picked Pittsburg in northern NH, as that is supposed to still be just about cloud-free through totality. Good luck all and stay safe!

WI0SNOv.png



ewB9gGU.png


djXRnWj.png
 
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Scratch that question … the OP has a nice link by zip code! Thanks xxxxxx Anyone know what time the eclipse will peak in the New Brunswick area?
 
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RU848789 said:
Last cloud cover forecast post before we get on our way. The first one is the NBM total cloud cover and the 2nd is the HRRR which shows low-mid level (bad) vs. high level (not as bad) clouds - areas with mostly cirrus, high level clouds will likely still be able to see some/most of the eclipse even if filtered a bit, whereas areas with low-mid level clouds might not see anything unless they get a timely break in the clouds.

Both are forecasts for 3 pm, which is around totality (2:30 pm in TX to3:30 pm in the NE). Looks like the forecast for parts of TX through Ohio has improved, at least with regard to there likely only being high level clouds, although those areas aren't far from some mid-low level clouds and these forecasts have some uncertainty in them.

I also included the HRRR forecast for NENY and New England since many will be there - hopefully folks in the Lake Champlain area and NENY can escape the low/mid level clouds and it also shows why we picked Pittsburg in northern NH, as that is supposed to still be just about cloud-free through totality. Good luck all and stay safe!

WI0SNOv.png



ewB9gGU.png


djXRnWj.png
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73241107007-weatherstory.gif


www.app.com

Solar eclipse weather in New Jersey: Some clouds, but will they break at right time?

Increasing clouds may obscure the Jersey Shore eclipse view, but breaks are possible with highs in the 50s and light winds.
www.app.com
 
Knight Shift said:
I'm in that camp. Will probably take a peek at whatever time I am summoned to do so, but then go back to work.

It all seems like a Soundgarden video.

View embedded media
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My neighbor is all fired up. He was telling me yesterday that he can't wait to see how dark it was going to get. I told him unless he was planning on driving to some place in the path of totality he was going to be very disappointed.
 
RULoyal said:
My neighbor is all fired up. He was telling me yesterday that he can't wait to see how dark it was going to get. I told him unless he was planning on driving to some place in the path of totality he was going to be very disappointed.
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Had 2 people at work e-mail this morning that they are logging off at 2:30 p.m. They have young kids, so that makes sense.
 
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RULoyal said:
My neighbor is all fired up. He was telling me yesterday that he can't wait to see how dark it was going to get. I told him unless he was planning on driving to some place in the path of totality he was going to be very disappointed.
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Yep. Totality or bust.
 
Bergen Record: "We'll also get more blockage than South Jersey, which is forecast to have only 85% to 90% of the sun covered — just another reason, beyond Taylor ham, Star Tavern and hot dogs all-the-way, why North Jersey is the king of the state."

LOL!!!
 
RULoyal said:
My neighbor is all fired up. He was telling me yesterday that he can't wait to see how dark it was going to get. I told him unless he was planning on driving to some place in the path of totality he was going to be very disappointed.
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Yeah lol, in NJ it’s just going to look like it got cloudy before a line of showers or storms.
 
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Left the Plymouth area around 8.30 am just when the 93 slowdown started so we took some nice scenic side roads and got to Pittsburg in 2.45 and just had a great meal at Buck's Pub, which includes free parking and drink service outside during the eclipse. Nice. 93 looks like a parking lot now. Not a cloud in the sky. Let's go!
 
RU848789 said:
Left the Plymouth area around 8.30 am just when the 93 slowdown started so we took some nice scenic side roads and got to Pittsburg in 2.45 and just had a great meal at Buck's Pub, which includes free parking and drink service outside during the eclipse. Nice. 93 looks like a parking lot now. Not a cloud in the sky. Let's go!
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There may be some moose spotting opportunities after the eclipse. We call that area "moose alley".
 
Oh my GOD!!! Something's eating the sun! It's the End Of Times!!!
 
A bit disappointing- I have friends posting pics of a perfect 1/4 to 3/4 block now and here- can't see an actual block in any portion but looks more like that yellow sky before a storm
 
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RULoyal said:
If this is what floats your boat then enjoy but is there anyone else that couldn't care less?
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Especially can’t imagine driving somewhere to get a better view of something being eclipsed by something else.
 
Was pretty cool here in Texas. I was surprised how dark it actually got. Cloud cover didn't impact it much during the totality period.
 
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