Total Solar Eclipse, April 8, 2024

[dryslot]

Some folks somewhere will be in for disappointment TBD.

[ice1972]

32 minutes ago, dendrite said:

Yeah I definitely wouldn’t worry too much about those maps until you get inside 5 days. Even less if there isn’t a major synoptic system.

How good are the cloud cover maps anyway?  Are they experimental?  Are they shit even inside 2 or 3 days?  Like the clown snowfall maps lol

[dendrite]

37 minutes ago, ice1972 said:

How good are the cloud cover maps anyway?  Are they experimental?  Are they shit even inside 2 or 3 days?  Like the clown snowfall maps lol

They’re all model derived unlike the snow clowns. They’re ok, but they’re a product of the synoptics. At this range it’s a crapshoot. I find they tend to be overly pessimistic with the OVC and optimistic with the SKC..ie more SCT/BKN than depicted. If you’re under a storm or a big high, obviously confidence goes up. Dirty ridging, convection, mesoscale nuances, etc and the error goes up. The euro has them as well…free on weather.us

[radarman]

Troughing in the 4 corners region has been pretty consistent on the ens.  Not sure how much is climo weighted at this range.  For the DFW area it's a setup though where'd you'd typically see stratus streaming north out ahead in the morning and possible convection as a dryline moved east later in the day/evening.  With breaks in the clouds at some point in between maybe?  Still a long ways to go obv.

[cardinalland]

I like the ridge axis just west of new england. a good sign for this area although not a guarantee

[ariof]

On 3/28/2024 at 7:56 AM, tunafish said:

At this point I'm almost as interested in the human element of this whole thing more than the eclipse itself.  It's going to be theatre in NNE.  

Hoards of people, most of whom will be ill-equipped, woefully unprepared for any extended stay on the roadways, and tempted to try alternate routes that'll lead them to no-gas-no-cell-service land.  Will be fascinating to watch unfold if we get a clear-ish day.

Will be a good day to break out the DeLormes, that's for sure.

I think a lot of people are going to make the mistake of choosing a place in advance and being wedded to it. Hotels are completely gone in totality for an event which occurs at 1500, but you can get a hotel in MHT for $100 and drive up (or for this forum, just drive up). I would expect some traffic on the highways on Monday but nothing outrageous since the trip up will be spread out somewhat. I think people will probably stick to the interstates on the way up since traffic won't be too bad and a lot of people want to experience the whole event, even though the lead up to totality is unremarkable. (Oh, look, my shadow is lighter.) I could see some bottlenecks getting trafficky in the places we see traffic during peaks in Northern New England, especially 93 south of Concord, and further up 93, potentially at Franconia Notch since everyone will be trying to go through. 25 across from Plymouth might be a good choice.

Coming back will be … whoo boy. One option would be to just go get dinner somewhere (if you can get a reservation) and wait it out. But it's a Monday, probably a lot of people will be going back for work/school, and it will be like if every ski mountain shut down the lifts at the exact same time times 10. If everywhere in NNE is CLR then it won't be as bad as traffic will filter onto 89, 91 and 93 (again, the Notch might be a mess), but if there's a NWely flow and really only the Champlain Valley is in the clear 89 could be a nightmare, that is, if people are smart enough to all go to the Champlain Valley. My tactic to get back to Boston in that case would probably be to take 15 across Vermont and then 89 south to 25 to cut over to 93 if I saw a lot of red on the traffic maps. Assuming the cell network isn't entirely overwhelmed, it will definitely pay to have a navigator checking traffic maps.

It's almost as fun as the event itself. Almost.

[radarman]

FWD is starting to mention the increased chance of cloudiness over climo.

 

[DavisStraight]

37 minutes ago, radarman said:

FWD is starting to mention the increased chance of cloudiness over climo.

 

I hope for everyone's sake it's a clear day but since I'm going to miss it I won't feel as bad not being there if it's cloudy fighting the traffic.

[wxeyeNH]

6 hours ago, ariof said:

in Northern New England, especially 93 south of Concord, and further up 93, potentially at Franconia Notch since everyone will be trying to go through. 25 across from Plymouth might be a good choice.

 

Since I live in the Plymouth NH area I know the backroads pretty well.  Take 93 up to Plymouth.  Get off and go west on Rt 25.  Head up on the NH side of the Connecticut River.  Then take one of the bridges over to Rt 5 or Rt 91 into the St Johnsbury area.  Then decide how far north or west you want to go to get into a longer and darker eclipse.  This will be a darker eclipse vs 2017 as the path of totality is wider.  Unfortunately for travelers the center line is near Canada. On the edge of totality is interesting however as the Diamond Ring and Bailey's Beads last much longer.  As I say over and over.  A 99% partial and a 100% total is like the difference between kissing someone and marrying them.  Oh, another idea.  There are lots of small businesses in the path of totality.  Pick where you want to go and call one of them in advance.  Ask if you can park in their lot and tell them you are even willing to throw them a few bucks their way.  Or  bring them a small gift, like a couple of 6 packs of beer.  With that in mind they might let you use their bathrooms as potty break as bathrooms and gas  are going to be hard to find.  This is all weather dependant of course. 

[mreaves]

19 minutes ago, wxeyeNH said:

Since I live in the Plymouth NH area I know the backroads pretty well.  Take 93 up to Plymouth.  Get off and go west on Rt 25.  Head up on the NH side of the Connecticut River.  Then take one of the bridges over to Rt 5 or Rt 91 into the St Johnsbury area.  Then decide how far north or west you want to go to get into a longer and darker eclipse.  This will be a darker eclipse vs 2017 as the path of totality is wider.  Unfortunately for travelers the center line is near Canada. On the edge of totality is interesting however as the Diamond Ring and Bailey's Beads last much longer.  As I say over and over.  A 99% partial and a 100% total is like the difference between kissing someone and marrying them.  Oh, another idea.  There are lots of small businesses in the path of totality.  Pick where you want to go and call one of them in advance.  Ask if you can park in their lot and tell them you are even willing to throw them a few bucks their way.  Or  bring them a small gift, like a couple of 6 packs of beer.  With that in mind they might let you use their bathrooms as potty break as bathrooms and gas  are going to be hard to find.  This is all weather dependant of course. 

The edge of totality is almost literally over my head. I’m not sure how far NW I’ll drive to get into it. 

[NoCORH4L]

1 hour ago, wxeyeNH said:

Since I live in the Plymouth NH area I know the backroads pretty well.  Take 93 up to Plymouth.  Get off and go west on Rt 25.  Head up on the NH side of the Connecticut River.  Then take one of the bridges over to Rt 5 or Rt 91 into the St Johnsbury area.  Then decide how far north or west you want to go to get into a longer and darker eclipse.  This will be a darker eclipse vs 2017 as the path of totality is wider.  Unfortunately for travelers the center line is near Canada. On the edge of totality is interesting however as the Diamond Ring and Bailey's Beads last much longer.  As I say over and over.  A 99% partial and a 100% total is like the difference between kissing someone and marrying them.  Oh, another idea.  There are lots of small businesses in the path of totality.  Pick where you want to go and call one of them in advance.  Ask if you can park in their lot and tell them you are even willing to throw them a few bucks their way.  Or  bring them a small gift, like a couple of 6 packs of beer.  With that in mind they might let you use their bathrooms as potty break as bathrooms and gas  are going to be hard to find.  This is all weather dependant of course. 

That's the route I'm going for sure

[mcglups]

Got my viewing glasses today.  Looking forward to a possible big snow storm, a few good days on the slopes, and some eclipse chaos!

[DavisStraight]

3 hours ago, mreaves said:

The edge of totality is almost literally over my head. I’m not sure how far NW I’ll drive to get into it. 

Why travel, just set up some chairs in your backyard and get a case a beer.

[mreaves]

1 hour ago, DavisStraight said:

Why travel, just set up some chairs in your backyard and get a case a beer.

I guess I just want to make sure I experience totality. That was my first thought but then I started looking closely and noticed how close I was. 

[Damage In Tolland]

Anyone in BTV area.. where is a good location for this where there won’t be thousands of people ? I’m heading up Sunday afternoon on a “work” trip. Any ideas would be appreciated 

[Professional Lurker]

Anyone in BTV area.. where is a good location for this where there won’t be thousands of people ? I’m heading up Sunday afternoon on a “work” trip. Any ideas would be appreciated 

This is probably your best shot at not being around anybody in the Burlington area.

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk

[Professional Lurker]

Anyone in BTV area.. where is a good location for this where there won’t be thousands of people ? I’m heading up Sunday afternoon on a “work” trip. Any ideas would be appreciated 

I was kinda serious. If I knew it would be sunny, and I wasn't planning on trying to take pictures with a tripod, I'd be on their solar eclipse cruise.

https://soea.com/

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk

[Hazey]

It’s early but a decent look for the Northeast

[weathafella]

I was originally planning to go to TX but I decided to bank on a drive knowing I can make a last minute rebook if conditions dictate.  We are planning somewhere in the ROC-ERI corridor.  New eclipse glasses arrived today.

[ariof]

2 hours ago, Hazey said:

It’s early but a decent look for the Northeast

Yeah this does not look bad at all. This would be a game-time decision based on winds. Hoping for a day like today.

[Chrisrotary12]

What if no one sees the solar eclipse? 

[lurker]

[j24vt]

On 3/30/2024 at 7:32 AM, Damage In Tolland said:

Anyone in BTV area.. where is a good location for this where there won’t be thousands of people ? I’m heading up Sunday afternoon on a “work” trip. Any ideas would be appreciated 

I think there are going to be people everywhere in BTV and the surrounding towns.  I would head northeast towards the Fairfax or Cambridge area.  The good news is that all the corn fields are bare right now (may be muddy) so you can probably find a sopt without many people.  I'm in Stowe and am planning to go out in the middle of one of the corn fields that is walking distance from our house.  Boyden Farm Winery in Cambridge might be a good spot - they are surrounded by corn fields:  https://www.boydenvalley.com/ 

If you need to stay in the Burlington area try Colchester High School, Airport Park in Colchester, or maybe one of the golf courses.

Stay on paved roads.  

[Damage In Tolland]

29 minutes ago, j24vt said:

I think there are going to be people everywhere in BTV and the surrounding towns.  I would head northeast towards the Fairfax or Cambridge area.  The good news is that all the corn fields are bare right now (may be muddy) so you can probably find a sopt without many people.  I'm in Stowe and am planning to go out in the middle of one of the corn fields that is walking distance from our house.  Boyden Farm Winery in Cambridge might be a good spot - they are surrounded by corn fields:  https://www.boydenvalley.com/ 

If you need to stay in the Burlington area try Colchester High School, Airport Park in Colchester, or maybe one of the golf courses.

Stay on paved roads.  

Ok that is very helpful. If the snow hits , those fields will be deep with snow. Thank you !

[j24vt]

Bring mud boots.  Corn fields always have high spots that are drier.  You can have a mud moat around yourself.

[Chrisrotary12]

Not sure if it was posted, but Pivotal has a cool Eclipse page. https://www.pivotalweather.com/eclipse2024/

[ice1972]

2 hours ago, Chrisrotary12 said:

Not sure if it was posted, but Pivotal has a cool Eclipse page. https://www.pivotalweather.com/eclipse2024/

That is a cool site….definitely bookmarked….

[wxsniss]

On 3/30/2024 at 5:52 PM, weathafella said:

I was originally planning to go to TX but I decided to bank on a drive knowing I can make a last minute rebook if conditions dictate.  We are planning somewhere in the ROC-ERI corridor.  New eclipse glasses arrived today.

Good bet given guidance at this range Jerry... northeast looks like it actually has a chance sitting east of ridge. I'll be driving somewhere with my wife.

Any thoughts from anyone on this plan? I'm thinking Newport, VT... 3.5 hr drive during weekday rush hour, so we'll plan on a 6 hour drive up: Drive up 93N, onto 91N at St. Johnsbury. Stay on 91 and get car to southbound direction before eclipse and that way can immediately hit road after. At worst might even just pull over side of 91 southbound...

There is an actual organized event, but I imagine it'll be impossible to enter:

https://www.discovernewportvt.com/eclipse/

 

 

[ariof]

6 minutes ago, wxsniss said:

Good bet given guidance at this range Jerry... northeast looks like it actually has a chance sitting west of ridge. I'll be driving somewhere with my wife.

Any thoughts from anyone on this plan? I'm thinking Newport, VT... 3.5 hr drive during weekday rush hour, so we'll plan on a 6 hour drive up: Drive up 93N, onto 91N at St. Johnsbury. Stay on 91 and get car to southbound direction before eclipse and that way can immediately hit road after. At worst might even just pull over side of 91 southbound...

There is an actual organized event, but I imagine it'll be impossible to enter:

https://www.discovernewportvt.com/eclipse/

 

 

Yeah this seems pretty reasonable. There probably won't be traffic going north from Boston since people will be spread out over the morning, although I would be somewhat surprised if the Manchester-to-Concord section is not slammed. (A good time to go around on Dunbarton/Logging Hill.) 93 north should then be fine since it is a 3-to-4 split in Concord, but I'd watch the Notch where there could be quite a backup where it goes from 2 to 1. (Generally there's not an issue here even at the busiest times since enough hiking/skiing/leaf peeping people peel off further south.) If it's bad, go across 25 or Kinsman instead over to 91, which I doubt will be bad, and then you can meter off onto some random side roads into Vermont.

I'm looking at various areas which are high up and clear, to be able to see distant hills in the day while you stand in the night. That is an advantage of going for a hike up a mountain (the main disadvantage, of course, being that there's a much higher likelihood of FG. Some of the open fields up in, like, Irasburg would fit the bill quite well.

[wxsniss]

56 minutes ago, ariof said:

Yeah this seems pretty reasonable. There probably won't be traffic going north from Boston since people will be spread out over the morning, although I would be somewhat surprised if the Manchester-to-Concord section is not slammed. (A good time to go around on Dunbarton/Logging Hill.) 93 north should then be fine since it is a 3-to-4 split in Concord, but I'd watch the Notch where there could be quite a backup where it goes from 2 to 1. (Generally there's not an issue here even at the busiest times since enough hiking/skiing/leaf peeping people peel off further south.) If it's bad, go across 25 or Kinsman instead over to 91, which I doubt will be bad, and then you can meter off onto some random side roads into Vermont.

I'm looking at various areas which are high up and clear, to be able to see distant hills in the day while you stand in the night. That is an advantage of going for a hike up a mountain (the main disadvantage, of course, being that there's a much higher likelihood of FG. Some of the open fields up in, like, Irasburg would fit the bill quite well.

So helpful, really appreciate the local knowledge!

And great idea to look at sunny distant hills from within totality.

We'll be on a tight schedule to get back to Boston by 8pm, so I'm planning to stage on southbound direction (or just near an on-ramp) on I-91. And planning to just pull over on side of road (or even on southbound I-91) if necessary. I imagine I won't be the only one pulling over on the interstate.