April 8 Great American Eclipse forecast

[Malacka11]

34 minutes ago, bowtie` said:

Had some cirrus in Indianapolis also. Best I could do...

 

 

Best I've seen so far for sure

[Brian D]

Overcast n rainy for me today. Peak eclipse time was 2:05 pm. It got a little darker here akin to near sunset lighting with heavy overcast. Not enough to get the street lights to come on, but noticeable. It was around 70% up my way.

[Chicago Storm]

On 4/8/2024 at 12:39 PM, Chicago Storm said:

Stationed near Franklin, IN.

As expected, have had high clouds this morning and afternoon here, varying between scattered to overcast at ~30,000KFT.

Looks like the thicker stuff should be out of the way in time for totality.

Ended up with great viewing conditions for the eclipse yesterday, as the thicker portion of the high level cirrus cloud deck moved out just in time for totality.

As expected, the experience blew out my 15 seconds of totality while riding the edge of the 2017 eclipse just SE of STL. This go-around, having full totality for a solid 4 minutes, was great. I didn't believe it going into it, but it's all true... When totality hits and it goes dark, similar to after sunset on a normal night, things change... Birds got quiet, and nightlife came alive. Instead of having just the western horizon filled with yellow/orange like a normal evening sunset, it was 360° in all directions. In the sky above, it wasn't black and dark like night, but more of a deep/dark navy blue-like shade. Also visible were Jupiter and Venus, as well as eye visible prominence/coronal loop.

Looking forward to the next two total eclipse opportunities in 2044 (Montana/Canada) and 2045 (Western/Southern US).

 

[TheNiño]

Wow wow wow. I understand now why people say you just have to experience it. And the difference between 99% and 100% is just literally night and day. Absolutely amazing experience. Ended up just south of New Castle, IN right over totality. It’s something I’ll never forget.

This is a picture a friend took through a telescope. Anyone who saw it will tell you that you could see that solar flare on the bottom.

So worth the traffic mess after. I’d experience it again in a heartbeat.

[buckeye]

13 hours ago, Chicago Storm said:

 

Looking forward to the next two total eclipse opportunities in 2044 (Montana/Canada) and 2045 (Western/Southern US).

 

 

You're not doing Egypt?   j/k, but that would be pretty damn cool too.

[Stebo]

I took a video of the 360 degree sunset at my location, I was down in Marion OH. Absolutely worth the trip even with the mess of traffic in Toledo that took me 2 hours to go 25 miles.

 

 

[nwohweather]

39 minutes ago, Stebo said:

I took a video of the 360 degree sunset at my location, I was down in Marion OH. Absolutely worth the trip even with the mess of traffic in Toledo that took me 2 hours to go 25 miles.

 

 

As a Toledo resident I can confirm that's the worst I've ever seen this city. Folks were taking every road possible that led to Michigan, apparently in Sylvania it was so bad that yards were being drove through.

[Stebo]

10 minutes ago, nwohweather said:

As a Toledo resident I can confirm that's the worst I've ever seen this city. Folks were taking every road possible that led to Michigan, apparently in Sylvania it was so bad that yards were being drove through.

I was going to stop at the Raising Cain's on US-20 on the way home, there was a line 100 deep out the door when I passed by.

[buckeye]

30 minutes ago, Stebo said:

I was going to stop at the Raising Cain's on US-20 on the way home, there was a line 100 deep out the door when I passed by.

I don't know what it is about that place.  I have one about 5 mins from me and I never go.   It's fcking chicken fingers with a dip that's basically ranch and ketchup mixed.

[SolidIcewx]

38 minutes ago, buckeye said:

I don't know what it is about that place.  I have one about 5 mins from me and I never go.   It's fcking chicken fingers with a dip that's basically ranch and ketchup mixed.

Hey now as a Michigander I love the basic style of the meal. Last summer I spent a few months in columbus and had raising canes every week. But now I heard there is one opening soon in Canton MI so I’m excited as hell lol

[buckeye]

1 hour ago, SolidIcewx said:

Hey now as a Michigander I love the basic style of the meal. Last summer I spent a few months in columbus and had raising canes every week. But now I heard there is one opening soon in Canton MI so I’m excited as hell lol

Lol....I get it.   My son-in-laws parents live up in extreme NW Ohio.   Every time they come down here they never miss a chance to go there.    I'm more of a KFC fan myself 

[SolidIcewx]

11 minutes ago, buckeye said:

Lol....I get it.   My son-in-laws parents live up in extreme NW Ohio.   Every time they come down here they never miss a chance to go there.    I'm more of a KFC fan myself 

I ate a good amount of KFC growing up. Went down to Missouri a few times and that’s how I tried them. Went down there in the summer and was in heaven once I found out good ole Ohio had some haha. In terms of quality tho you have a point about KFC. Popeyes not bad also

[nrgjeff]

Wow most of us really lucked out on the decreasing clouds. I had to react thank-you to the satellite pics. We stationed in Arkansas, but most of my posts (and every detailed one) is here. So if you don't mind, I'll share my account here in G. Lakes / Ohio Valley. This is where I will come back to reflect on the eclipse, and our shared experience. I still do so in the Tennessee Valley 2017 thread.

Sunday I went to Memphis to meet my usual storm chase partner there. Monday as we rolled through Jonesboro, AR it was evident our sky would remain clear. We stopped in Black Rock, AR. Set up in a little park across the street from a Mt. Vernon Baptist Church. It's on!

Partial phase begins with little fanfare as always. Two guys are already there. A family joins. Local neighbors wave and greet us. Soon the crescents are under the trees. Deeper into partial the light gets weird. By 70% it's quite obvious. Contrast ramps up, deeper shadows. Colors change a little bit. By 95% it feels like we're on another world. No shadow bands at our location (we did 2017). Too early in the season for cicadas. However, a cat fight happens at about 98%; not sure if related, we just hear it somewhere. We get a classic eclipse breeze, beyond just cooling off. Wind flips 180 degrees to emanate from upstream totality. Oh yeah with 30 seconds to go the western sky gets deep navy blue or purple. It's not a sharp shadow, but it's obvious. It's something between a curtain and a paint job. I don't feel like it's eerie; it's majestic. We are about there!

Totality arrives like someone turned off the lights. Remaining cirrus looks like noctilucent clouds (they're not). I catch the diamond ring going in. Careful rehearsal (unlike 2017) pays dividends. Right as the eclipse glasses go dark, naked eye the diamond ring. The moon is darker than I'd imagined. Intellectually I know it'll be black; but wow, it's black alright. Black button sits over the most gorgeous white light I've seen since 2017. 5-6 filaments stick out from the corona fairly evenly spaced around, two are more dominant. Smaller pink/orange prominence is visible at the bottom. Corona has that solar maximum power feel like it just wants to explode! In questionable judgement I naked eye two Bailey's Beads coming out. C2* (going into totality) is relatively safer because our eyes are sun adjusted. C3* (coming out) is risky because our pupils are wide open. Well two days later I can still see. C3 happens quicker than I'd anticipated despite my eclipse timer. Bailey's Beads are bitter-sweet; so beautiful, but totality is over.

Umbral shadow fascinates me. Per rehearsed routine I just watched the umbra coming into totality. C2 goal was the diamond ring. One has to plan a little bit so we don't miss everything happening in such a short time. C3 is the time to photograph the departing umbral shadow, which can be done reasonably easily compared to the actual corona display. Ditto 360 deg. sunset/rise, which we do. 

* Official guidance is never to look at the sun directly. They say even the diamond ring and Bailey's Beads are not safe to look at with naked eye.  

On the way out we reflect on the powerful emotional experience. 2024 was a classic total solar eclipse. Corona was the power display in my opinion, near solar maximum. 2017 we were near a solar minimum. Corona was less wound up. 2017 was asymmetrical but more delicate with 3 longer streamers leaping across the sky relative to 2024 filaments. However 2024 was darker and filaments still incredible. I feel like 2024 was the classic dark total solar eclipse. @vpbob21 and @Floydbuster I figure the high clouds scattered some light your location in 2024. Your sky looks like our 2017 where the moon was farther and totality shorter, smaller shadow.

Photos don't do it justice. While a picture is worth 1,000 words, our imagination is worth 1,000 pictures. Ask a professional photographer layering this thing. I have elected writing and just cell phone photos. We did not attempt technical photos. Elected minimal gadgets for maximum viewing. I double checked myself with two other eclipse accounts. Don't want to forget anything. 

Bob Berman. The Sun's Heartbeat. Totality; the Impossible Coincidence chapter
Mabel Loomis Todd. Total Eclipses of the Sun. Description of a Total Eclipse chapter 

Umbra shadow, 360 sunset/rise, Totality

[Powerball]

2 hours ago, buckeye said:

I don't know what it is about that place.  I have one about 5 mins from me and I never go.   It's fcking chicken fingers with a dip that's basically ranch and ketchup mixed.

 

It's similar to the hype behind In-N-Out and Chick-Fil-A

The food itself is decent at best (especially the Cane's sauce & Texas Toast. The chicken is moist & big, but bland/unseasoned). However, the service is always top tier (including being extremely fast), the food is always hot/fresh and it's reasonably priced.

Interestingly enough, we just got Saavy Sliders down here. They already opened 1 location each in Dallas & San Antonio with fairly big expansion plans in the work. They have good Cajun Fries, but otherwise, that's the place that I don't get the hype over. It's overpriced and the service is poor on top of having mediocre food.

 

[Powerball]

21 hours ago, SolidIcewx said:

I ate a good amount of KFC growing up. Went down to Missouri a few times and that’s how I tried them. Went down there in the summer and was in heaven once I found out good ole Ohio had some haha. In terms of quality tho you have a point about KFC. Popeyes not bad also

Not sure how it is up there, but the KFCs here are always ghost towns when I drive by (even during so-called busy times). I'm surprised they haven't started closing shop.

If I had to choose chain fried chicken restaurants to eat at, Popeye's, Bojangles (the OG Bojangles in the SE states, not the diet abominations opening in Texas & Ohio), Krispy Krunchy, Lee's Famous Recipe and Jollibee are all superior.

[SolidIcewx]

57 minutes ago, Powerball said:

Not sure how it is up there, but the KFCs here are always ghost towns when I drive by (even during so-called busy times). I'm surprised they haven't atarted closing shop.

If I had to choose chain fried chicken restaurants to eat at, Popeye's, Bojangles (the OG Bojangles in the SE states, not the diet abominations opening in Texas & Ohio) Krispy Krunchy, Lee's Famous Recipe and Jollibee are all superior.

Funny you mention Lee’s. Just tried them a couple weeks ago. One just opened up by me like a month ago. I gotta agree they were good.

[Chicago Storm]

6 hours ago, buckeye said:

I don't know what it is about that place.  I have one about 5 mins from me and I never go.   It's fcking chicken fingers with a dip that's basically ranch and ketchup mixed.

they are dead to me because they don't offer bbq sauce.

horrible establishment.

[Chicago Storm]

7 hours ago, buckeye said:

You're not doing Egypt?   j/k, but that would be pretty damn cool too.

i can't do that long of a flight. otherwise i'd head to australia, where they will have four between 2028-2038.

i'll have to wait for the back-to-back one's in 2044 and 2045.

[IWXwx]

6 hours ago, buckeye said:

Lol....I get it.   My son-in-laws parents live up in extreme NW Ohio.   Every time they come down here they never miss a chance to go there.    I'm more of a KFC fan myself 

I'm eating KFC as I am reading this.

[IWXwx]

2 hours ago, Chicago Storm said:

they are dead to me because they don't offer bbq sauce.

horrible establishment.

Take your own bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's when you go.

[IWXwx]

5 hours ago, Powerball said:

Not sure how it is up there, but the KFCs here are always ghost towns when I drive by (even during so-called busy times). I'm surprised they haven't atarted closing shop.

If I had to choose chain fried chicken restaurants to eat at, Popeye's, Bojangles (the OG Bojangles in the SE states, not the diet abominations opening in Texas & Ohio) Krispy Krunchy, Lee's Famous Recipe and Jollibee are all superior.

A Popeye's just opened in Huntington a week ago. I'll give it a try once the throngs quit massing in a month or two.

4 hours ago, SolidIcewx said:

Funny you mention Lee’s. Just tried them a couple weeks ago. One just opened up by me like a month ago. I gotta agree they were good.

There's a couple of Lee's in Ft. Wayne I've been meaning to try, but never got around to it, especially since the wife's not a big chicken fan. I don't kn ow what her problem is.

Dang, I just realized that I made multiple posts about chicken! In the eclipse thread!

[vpbob21]

On 4/8/2024 at 6:19 PM, TheClimateChanger said:

Surprisingly pricy though.

Tried the place out today after all the recommendations.  Agree that it's good but pricey.  Cracker Barrel is generally my go to place for breakfast - don't see myself converting to SBPH.  3 pancakes cost $10 (nothing else).  At CB for the same price I can get 3 bigger pancakes as well as 2 eggs and 2 strips of bacon.

[vpbob21]

Regarding the chicken debate, among the 4 places we have in Sandusky, I would rate them (from best to worst):  Chick-fil-a (although I think they have slipped a bit recently), Lee's, Cane's, KFC

[buckeye]

12 hours ago, IWXwx said:

I'm eating KFC as I am reading this.

One other thing about kfc, they have the best damn cole slaw ever.   I don't usually like mayonnaise-based slaw, but theirs's is awesome.    I literally stopped there once for lunch, went thru the drive-thru and ordered 2 family-sized slaw tubs, (I was kinda embarrassed so I ordered 3 drinks so they wouldn't think it was all for me).    I ate both entire tubs.     Next day was brutal though....felt bad for my wife.

[nvck]

22 hours ago, buckeye said:

I don't know what it is about that place.  I have one about 5 mins from me and I never go.   It's fcking chicken fingers with a dip that's basically ranch and ketchup mixed.

Cane's is decent, but Joella's Hot Chicken absolutely wipes the floor with them. not sure how widespread they are though

[nwohweather]

Overall lets be honest, Zaxby's is the best chain.

On 4/10/2024 at 12:53 PM, nrgjeff said:

Wow most of us really lucked out on the decreasing clouds. I had to react thank-you to the satellite pics. We stationed in Arkansas, but most of my posts (and every detailed one) is here. So if you don't mind, I'll share my account here in G. Lakes / Ohio Valley. This is where I will come back to reflect on the eclipse, and our shared experience. I still do so in the Tennessee Valley 2017 thread.

Sunday I went to Memphis to meet my usual storm chase partner there. Monday as we rolled through Jonesboro, AR it was evident our sky would remain clear. We stopped in Black Rock, AR. Set up in a little park across the street from a Mt. Vernon Baptist Church. It's on!

Partial phase begins with little fanfare as always. Two guys are already there. A family joins. Local neighbors wave and greet us. Soon the crescents are under the trees. Deeper into partial the light gets weird. By 70% it's quite obvious. Contrast ramps up, deeper shadows. Colors change a little bit. By 95% it feels like we're on another world. No shadow bands at our location (we did 2017). Too early in the season for cicadas. However, a cat fight happens at about 98%; not sure if related, we just hear it somewhere. We get a classic eclipse breeze, beyond just cooling off. Wind flips 180 degrees to emanate from upstream totality. Oh yeah with 30 seconds to go the western sky gets deep navy blue or purple. It's not a sharp shadow, but it's obvious. It's something between a curtain and a paint job. I don't feel like it's eerie; it's majestic. We are about there!

Totality arrives like someone turned off the lights. Remaining cirrus looks like noctilucent clouds (they're not). I catch the diamond ring going in. Careful rehearsal (unlike 2017) pays dividends. Right as the eclipse glasses go dark, naked eye the diamond ring. The moon is darker than I'd imagined. Intellectually I know it'll be black; but wow, it's black alright. Black button sits over the most gorgeous white light I've seen since 2017. 5-6 filaments stick out from the corona fairly evenly spaced around, two are more dominant. Smaller pink/orange prominence is visible at the bottom. Corona has that solar maximum power feel like it just wants to explode! In questionable judgement I naked eye two Bailey's Beads coming out. C2* (going into totality) is relatively safer because our eyes are sun adjusted. C3* (coming out) is risky because our pupils are wide open. Well two days later I can still see. C3 happens quicker than I'd anticipated despite my eclipse timer. Bailey's Beads are bitter-sweet; so beautiful, but totality is over.

Umbral shadow fascinates me. Per rehearsed routine I just watched the umbra coming into totality. C2 goal was the diamond ring. One has to plan a little bit so we don't miss everything happening in such a short time. C3 is the time to photograph the departing umbral shadow, which can be done reasonably easily compared to the actual corona display. Ditto 360 deg. sunset/rise, which we do. 

* Official guidance is never to look at the sun directly. They say even the diamond ring and Bailey's Beads are not safe to look at with naked eye.  

On the way out we reflect on the powerful emotional experience. 2024 was a classic total solar eclipse. Corona was the power display in my opinion, near solar maximum. 2017 we were near a solar minimum. Corona was less wound up. 2017 was asymmetrical but more delicate with 3 longer streamers leaping across the sky relative to 2024 filaments. However 2024 was darker and filaments still incredible. I feel like 2024 was the classic dark total solar eclipse. @vpbob21 and @Floydbuster I figure the high clouds scattered some light your location in 2024. Your sky looks like our 2017 where the moon was farther and totality shorter, smaller shadow.

Photos don't do it justice. While a picture is worth 1,000 words, our imagination is worth 1,000 pictures. Ask a professional photographer layering this thing. I have elected writing and just cell phone photos. We did not attempt technical photos. Elected minimal gadgets for maximum viewing. I double checked myself with two other eclipse accounts. Don't want to forget anything. 

Bob Berman. The Sun's Heartbeat. Totality; the Impossible Coincidence chapter
Mabel Loomis Todd. Total Eclipses of the Sun. Description of a Total Eclipse chapter 

Umbra shadow, 360 sunset/rise, Totality

Great post, and you really detailed this well. I will say with Bailey's Beads, that's a fair point. You could only see it for a couple of seconds before needing to throw the goggles back on. Also, the cool down was remarkable to feel in person. Noticeably we lost 5-6 degrees in a handful of minutes, from a weather perspective that's really shocking to feel.

[michsnowfreak]

I just stayed home for the eclipse. 99.6% totality imby. It was really neat to watch. Totality would have been awesome, but still, no regrets, and i dealt with no traffic into Ohio lol. 

 

 

[BuffaloWeather]

I would deal with 12 hours of traffic to experience totality again. Nothing compares to it. Not even 99.9%. I've traveled and hiked all over the world and I was completely blown away. Already making plans for Spain in 2026

[TheNiño]

4 hours ago, BuffaloWeather said:

I would deal with 12 hours of traffic to experience totality again. Nothing compares to it. Not even 99.9%. I've traveled and hiked all over the world and I was completely blown away. Already making plans for Spain in 2026

Seriously, I didn’t understand why 100% would be so much of a difference compared to 99%. But having now experienced it, I get it. Like you, I would literally travel abroad to see it again. Incredible experience.

[bowtie`]

4 hours ago, BuffaloWeather said:

I would deal with 12 hours of traffic to experience totality again. Nothing compares to it. Not even 99.9%. I've traveled and hiked all over the world and I was completely blown away. Already making plans for Spain in 2026

 

21 minutes ago, TheNiño said:

Seriously, I didn’t understand why 100% would be so much of a difference compared to 99%. But having now experienced it, I get it. Like you, I would literally travel abroad to see it again. Incredible experience.

The difference between the annular eclipse in 1994 and Monday's total eclipse was night and day; literally.  There is something special when all of the Sun is covered with the Moon.  While I am not going to go out of my way to see more, I am extremely grateful that I can cross this off of my bucket list and now have the ability to say I have seen and experienced totality at least once in my life.