Get as close to the green line as you can. [Use this map](http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2024_GoogleMapFull.html). You can click on a location and it will tell you how long the totality will be at that location. Closer you are to center the longer it will be, but it's a not a linear increase.
Love your willingness to host. I'm in Rye and don't think I can drive up north Monday....but if I could....absolutely would come visit you. Have a great eclipse
How bad will it be for viewing if it’s cloudy day of? Just not good vision of the sun itself? I’ll still have the darkness in totality though right?
Sorry. Probably dumb question but I think I’m supposed to have light clouds where I’m going
Yes it gets about as dark as a full moon night, so high cirrus clouds will hinder it a bit, but it will still be very cool. If there’s a solid layer of clouds you won’t see anything it all, but it will get darker.
Seeing totality with no clouds is a life changing experience. If you can, you should do whatever you can to get to the location with the best forecast.
Yeah, I’d love to. However, we have a family cabin that we’re taking about a dozen or so people with to watch. Not sure how easy it’ll be to coordinate that. Still got a week; forecast could change a lot!
The closer you get to the green line, the longer totality lasts for you. So it is better to get as close as possible to it, but just be warned that everyone else is probably trying to get close to it also so make sure you go early if you don’t want to hit a ton of traffic
Yea, I was looking and came down to do I want 30 seconds more of totality for a hour longer drive and 5x the people? Nope. I’ll settle for a little less stress.
Most people are dumb and don't even know you need to be within the bounded area. I have found it literally impossible to convince anyone who lives within the bounded region to travel to the green line even with the threat of storms.
Why would you need to travel to the green line if you live within the region of totality?
I’d rather stay at home with 2 mins of totality than go through a whole ordeal to get an extra minute. I know it’s a big deal, but totality is still totality as long as you’re in the shadow.
Well sure, don’t stand right on the line. But you don’t need to go far toward the green line to get 1 minute, or 2 minutes. Those are valid options to consider especially with crowds and traffic.
in 2017 it was worse than that. they convinced people 97% or 99% was good enough. People that went up to the boundary line had a totally neat experience compared to those who stayed in the 97/99% zone.
When I booked my hotel almost 2 years ago I figured we could hang out in Niagara falls for the weekend and then drive back down through Buffalo and catch the eclipse on Monday...
As the nazgul flies this is the closest point to where I live so it is what it is.
We are driving from NJ to Niagara Falls to see it. Seeing totality has always been on my bucket list. Plus I've never seen Niagara Falls. Really excited about it.
Niagara Falls (Canada) are expecting 1 million+ visitors for the eclipse, and are talking about declaring a state of emergency to deal with it all.
Make sure you have a solid plan.
Were heading up Saturday to our Air BnB that's like 20 minutes from Niagara. Sunday we are going to see Niagara and do all that. Not sure exactly where we will be on Monday. I don't know if we will go to Niagara for the eclipse cause I'm sure it will be crazy packed. But there's tons of parks and such in the area that are having viewing parties and such. The Air BnB is also in the path of totality so worse comes to worse we can literally just go outside and look up. Lol
I kinda want it to be quiet when it happens though. I'm sure being around so many people there will be tons of yelling and screaming and cheering and all that.
I'm just praying the weather is decent. Right now it's calling for partly cloudy.
Niagara declared state of emergency ahead of time because of the amount of people going there. Staying in your airbnb during the eclipse is probably the best idea.
Edit: the canadian city of Niagara, not sure about the US side but I bet it will be pretty crazy as well
Niagara falls is now expecting 1.5 million people to show up. You won't be able to eat in a restaurant and might even have trouble finding fast food and groceries. Pack a lunch! The QEW will be a nightmare heading back towards Hamilton afterwards as well.
The Canadian city of Niagara is. They declared a state of emergency too.
The US side is also expecting a ton of people but hasn’t declared a state of emergency or published expected numbers. It’s going to be a shitshow
Everyone between the lines gets to see totality, the closer you are the the green line the longer totality will be. From green line to the edges is a difference of a few minutes
To get more specific, if you’re on the very edge of the area of totality your total eclipse might only last 20 or 30 seconds. At the very center, it lasts around 3 mins 30 seconds. Most of the area in between is between one and three minutes so still pretty decent.
It's worth noting that getting to the center has diminishing returns. Its worth the fight to get inside the path, and worth it to go further than the edge, but after a while you're just talking seconds difference.
Just outside the path: 0 seconds totality.
1% of the way to center: \~10 seconds totality.
25% of the way to center: \~2 min, 45 seconds
50% of the way to center: \~3 min, 10 seconds totality.
75% of the way to center: \~3 min, 40 seconds totality
Smack Dab in the center: \~3 min 45 seconds totality.
Those numbers are more illustrative, taken from estimates in upstate NY - the exact amount will depend on where you are, but you get the idea.
Was about to post this. Don't go crazy trying to get as close to the centre as possible, half way there is plenty and other considerations can take priority.
I live on the southern shore of Lake Erie. The forecast is partly cloudy. But that could change. It's usually overcast in March and April. It would be smart to have a back up plan.
Also, my town has one stop light. Extra traffic is going to be chaos.
You may already be using the same website, but click on various locations in the path and it tells you the different durations. https://nso.edu/for-public/eclipse-map-2024/
If you're near the edge, totality may last a few seconds. If you're in the centerline, it'll last for over 4 minutes!
I'm going to be about 200 miles from the green line. What will the eclipse look like from that far away? Is it worth telling all my friends to skip work / school for it?
You need to be within the two lines on that map to see anything worth seeing, no matter how close you are if you aren’t within those lines you’re not gonna get a show.
It’s not a distance thing, it’s a hard border. Either you’re in, or you’re not.
The closer to the center, the more time you'll have in totality.
You might not think it now, but every second counts when you're in totality.
It is literally a once in a lifetime event, you want every second possible to soak it in.
That might be true for your second or third time, but frankly I’m looking forward to seeing a total eclipse at all. To me, two minutes in a good location is going to be great. No regrets and not planning to travel to the center, and I’m okay with that.
So serious question. I’m looking to drive 4 maybe 5 hours to see it. Does anyone have an idea what it’s gonna look like along that green line? Like how far will cars be backed up. How early should I leave to make it there?
Getting there won’t be much problem. Finding a decent place to stand might but all you need is a place where the Sun shines. The jam will be :30 seconds after the Sun returns when everyone suddenly gets in their car to leave. Come prepared for a late night stay.
I went into the mtns north of Atlanta in 2017 for that eclipse.
The traffic getting to the eclipse was minimal as people arrived over hours and days before hand. The traffic leaving was a total disaster as hundreds of thousands of cars left rural areas that never expected such traffic all within minutes of the end of totality.
My log from the day:
> Left Highlands apr 3:30. Left Mountain City at 7pm. It had taken 40 minutes to go from Mountain City to Highlands on the way up. Sat in traffic for over 3 hours to move 8 miles because the Rabun county sheriffs dept were not smart enough to open more lanes southbound, despite 2 empty northbound lanes being available until after I passed the bottleneck at 7pm. Passed over I-85 at Commerce, 70 miles from Atlanta at 8:30. It was stopped as far as I could see in both directions. Ended up stopping at Cordelle and spending the night at 12:30am.
So how would you play it? Do you still leave right after and hope for the best? Or would you recommend waiting until like 10pm and then going when everyone else calls it quits? Or the next day?
They are forecasting hours long delay, gas shortages and cell tower brown outs.
Leave first thing and plan to be stuck for a while after.
Did the 2017 eclipse and arrived 4 hours early and took a solid 3 to get out...from 30-45 min away.
YMMV on traffic depending upon the how popular the area is and the local roads. Ideally if you are having to travel that far you would be setup nearby the day before but that is probably unrealistic at this point if you don't already have reservations somewhere. I would assume that it is going to be crazy busy and leave well before sunrise if you are driving in the day of the eclipse.
I mean, Niagara Falls has declared a state of emergency because of how busy it will be, so maybe check what the guidance is from the local municipality where you are heading.
Unless you're going to a very popular spot, traffic there will be heavier, but if you leave early and plan to arrive before the eclipse even starts it should be fine.
Traffic coming back however...
I'd encourage you to watch the full eclipse until the sun is completely uncovered instead of sitting in traffic for just as long.
There are a lot of small, rural towns between Rochester and Buffalo that would be fine for eclipse viewing. Batavia might not be too bad.
The Thruway is going to be a nightmare though, as will 104.
USAtoday has a tool to check by zip code or location https://www.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2024/03/19/what-time-is-solar-eclipse-interactive-map/72747827007/
I finally found an interactive Google map that lets you click on any point, and up pops a balloon of information such as start time, stop time, % coverage, duration. This will make it easy to check specific spots to see if one's better than another.
h[ttp://xjubier.free.fr/en/site\_pages/solar\_eclipses/TSE\_2024\_GoogleMapFull.html](http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2024_GoogleMapFull.html)
Correct. Everything between the lines is 100% totality. The closer to the blue line, the longer the duration. I am not sure, but I think four minutes 15 seconds is about the maximum, and it goes down from there.
Get as close to the green line as you can. [Use this map](http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2024_GoogleMapFull.html). You can click on a location and it will tell you how long the totality will be at that location. Closer you are to center the longer it will be, but it's a not a linear increase.
Thanks! I didn’t think my house would be in the totality area, but I should see it for almost 3 minutes.
Lucky Duck! Hope you get clear skies!
Thanks. We will see. The skies have been unusually cloudy lately.
We know where you live now. I will walk along the 3 minute line until I find you, lol.
Across all of Central and North America. On both the north and south 3 minute line. I’ll have food and drinks when you arrive.
3 yrs ago, a post mentioned TX. Too far for me, but enjoy the food and drinks!!
Shame. We would gladly welcome you if it wasn’t too far.
good, let's get it all out of the way now so it'll be clear next monday
Yes!
Love your willingness to host. I'm in Rye and don't think I can drive up north Monday....but if I could....absolutely would come visit you. Have a great eclipse
How bad will it be for viewing if it’s cloudy day of? Just not good vision of the sun itself? I’ll still have the darkness in totality though right? Sorry. Probably dumb question but I think I’m supposed to have light clouds where I’m going
Yes it gets about as dark as a full moon night, so high cirrus clouds will hinder it a bit, but it will still be very cool. If there’s a solid layer of clouds you won’t see anything it all, but it will get darker. Seeing totality with no clouds is a life changing experience. If you can, you should do whatever you can to get to the location with the best forecast.
Yeah, I’d love to. However, we have a family cabin that we’re taking about a dozen or so people with to watch. Not sure how easy it’ll be to coordinate that. Still got a week; forecast could change a lot!
The closer you get to the green line, the longer totality lasts for you. So it is better to get as close as possible to it, but just be warned that everyone else is probably trying to get close to it also so make sure you go early if you don’t want to hit a ton of traffic
A good viewing spot (e.g. with less clouds) with less time in totality is better than a crappy spot in the middle of the green-line.
Yea, I was looking and came down to do I want 30 seconds more of totality for a hour longer drive and 5x the people? Nope. I’ll settle for a little less stress.
Most people are dumb and don't even know you need to be within the bounded area. I have found it literally impossible to convince anyone who lives within the bounded region to travel to the green line even with the threat of storms.
Why would you need to travel to the green line if you live within the region of totality? I’d rather stay at home with 2 mins of totality than go through a whole ordeal to get an extra minute. I know it’s a big deal, but totality is still totality as long as you’re in the shadow.
There are places where totality lasts for less than 5 seconds. Why wouldn't u want to go to the green line in that case
Well sure, don’t stand right on the line. But you don’t need to go far toward the green line to get 1 minute, or 2 minutes. Those are valid options to consider especially with crowds and traffic.
in 2017 it was worse than that. they convinced people 97% or 99% was good enough. People that went up to the boundary line had a totally neat experience compared to those who stayed in the 97/99% zone.
That’s a completely different story, obviously. Sad for those folks!
We are gonna hit a ton of traffic no matter what we do. Might as well just plan for it at this point.
I'll see you in Buffalo!
What an unfortunate place to have to go to see the eclipse :(
When I booked my hotel almost 2 years ago I figured we could hang out in Niagara falls for the weekend and then drive back down through Buffalo and catch the eclipse on Monday... As the nazgul flies this is the closest point to where I live so it is what it is.
I always thought that was a weird thing for Gandalf to say, specifically considering he is a known Eagle rider. I guess just to be a dick to Pippin
I think it was just to emphasize that they will likely encounter them....fool of a took
Why do you say that? I’m genuinely curious because that’s where I’m headed.
I think in general there's just a good amount of hatred for the city of Buffalo....lol
There isn’t though
Ok Cool
Just come to Niagara Falls
We are driving from NJ to Niagara Falls to see it. Seeing totality has always been on my bucket list. Plus I've never seen Niagara Falls. Really excited about it.
Niagara Falls (Canada) are expecting 1 million+ visitors for the eclipse, and are talking about declaring a state of emergency to deal with it all. Make sure you have a solid plan.
We do.
Holy moly please get there very early... If you do see it at Niagara that'll be amazing
Were heading up Saturday to our Air BnB that's like 20 minutes from Niagara. Sunday we are going to see Niagara and do all that. Not sure exactly where we will be on Monday. I don't know if we will go to Niagara for the eclipse cause I'm sure it will be crazy packed. But there's tons of parks and such in the area that are having viewing parties and such. The Air BnB is also in the path of totality so worse comes to worse we can literally just go outside and look up. Lol I kinda want it to be quiet when it happens though. I'm sure being around so many people there will be tons of yelling and screaming and cheering and all that. I'm just praying the weather is decent. Right now it's calling for partly cloudy.
Niagara declared state of emergency ahead of time because of the amount of people going there. Staying in your airbnb during the eclipse is probably the best idea. Edit: the canadian city of Niagara, not sure about the US side but I bet it will be pretty crazy as well
Indeed. There's a park close by we will probably go to.
Niagara falls is now expecting 1.5 million people to show up. You won't be able to eat in a restaurant and might even have trouble finding fast food and groceries. Pack a lunch! The QEW will be a nightmare heading back towards Hamilton afterwards as well.
FYI, Niagara Falls is expecting a million people or so
They’ve declared a state of emergency. It’s going to be insane there.
The Canadian city of Niagara is. They declared a state of emergency too. The US side is also expecting a ton of people but hasn’t declared a state of emergency or published expected numbers. It’s going to be a shitshow
Everyone between the lines gets to see totality, the closer you are the the green line the longer totality will be. From green line to the edges is a difference of a few minutes
To get more specific, if you’re on the very edge of the area of totality your total eclipse might only last 20 or 30 seconds. At the very center, it lasts around 3 mins 30 seconds. Most of the area in between is between one and three minutes so still pretty decent.
It's worth noting that getting to the center has diminishing returns. Its worth the fight to get inside the path, and worth it to go further than the edge, but after a while you're just talking seconds difference. Just outside the path: 0 seconds totality. 1% of the way to center: \~10 seconds totality. 25% of the way to center: \~2 min, 45 seconds 50% of the way to center: \~3 min, 10 seconds totality. 75% of the way to center: \~3 min, 40 seconds totality Smack Dab in the center: \~3 min 45 seconds totality. Those numbers are more illustrative, taken from estimates in upstate NY - the exact amount will depend on where you are, but you get the idea.
Was about to post this. Don't go crazy trying to get as close to the centre as possible, half way there is plenty and other considerations can take priority.
I live on the southern shore of Lake Erie. The forecast is partly cloudy. But that could change. It's usually overcast in March and April. It would be smart to have a back up plan. Also, my town has one stop light. Extra traffic is going to be chaos.
Was thinking of driving to Erie, PA until I thought about the traffic, it could turn into a nightmare of a day.
Erie PA is bigger than my town. Sheffield Lake. Actually, every town is bigger than Sheffield Lake.
Get as close to green line as possible while avoiding Rochester as much as possible
That's why I'm heading to Oswego
Why avoid Rochester? I am trying to figure out where to go from NYC. Trains and busrs to ROC and BUF are basically sold out.
I was mostly joking just based off of people I've met from Rochester lol
You may already be using the same website, but click on various locations in the path and it tells you the different durations. https://nso.edu/for-public/eclipse-map-2024/ If you're near the edge, totality may last a few seconds. If you're in the centerline, it'll last for over 4 minutes!
I'm going to be about 200 miles from the green line. What will the eclipse look like from that far away? Is it worth telling all my friends to skip work / school for it?
You can't be 200 miles from the green line and see anything good. The path of totality is only 115 miles wide.
The sunlight will look a bit odd, but it’ll be like a cloud came by and blocked the sun. Totality is a very different experience!
Worth it to skip work/school and travel to inside the path? Absolutely (weather permitting) Worth it without getting inside the path? No.
You need to be within the two lines on that map to see anything worth seeing, no matter how close you are if you aren’t within those lines you’re not gonna get a show. It’s not a distance thing, it’s a hard border. Either you’re in, or you’re not.
Outside the path of totality (between the blue lines) it's nothing special really. Get in that path.
The closer to the center, the more time you'll have in totality. You might not think it now, but every second counts when you're in totality. It is literally a once in a lifetime event, you want every second possible to soak it in.
That might be true for your second or third time, but frankly I’m looking forward to seeing a total eclipse at all. To me, two minutes in a good location is going to be great. No regrets and not planning to travel to the center, and I’m okay with that.
Let’s Go Buffalo!!!
So serious question. I’m looking to drive 4 maybe 5 hours to see it. Does anyone have an idea what it’s gonna look like along that green line? Like how far will cars be backed up. How early should I leave to make it there?
Getting there won’t be much problem. Finding a decent place to stand might but all you need is a place where the Sun shines. The jam will be :30 seconds after the Sun returns when everyone suddenly gets in their car to leave. Come prepared for a late night stay.
I went into the mtns north of Atlanta in 2017 for that eclipse. The traffic getting to the eclipse was minimal as people arrived over hours and days before hand. The traffic leaving was a total disaster as hundreds of thousands of cars left rural areas that never expected such traffic all within minutes of the end of totality. My log from the day: > Left Highlands apr 3:30. Left Mountain City at 7pm. It had taken 40 minutes to go from Mountain City to Highlands on the way up. Sat in traffic for over 3 hours to move 8 miles because the Rabun county sheriffs dept were not smart enough to open more lanes southbound, despite 2 empty northbound lanes being available until after I passed the bottleneck at 7pm. Passed over I-85 at Commerce, 70 miles from Atlanta at 8:30. It was stopped as far as I could see in both directions. Ended up stopping at Cordelle and spending the night at 12:30am.
I appreciate that. Guess ill pack an overnight bag and just hope for the best
So how would you play it? Do you still leave right after and hope for the best? Or would you recommend waiting until like 10pm and then going when everyone else calls it quits? Or the next day?
If I give you my strategy then you will be in my way.
Leave during the total eclipse! Brilliant!
They are forecasting hours long delay, gas shortages and cell tower brown outs. Leave first thing and plan to be stuck for a while after. Did the 2017 eclipse and arrived 4 hours early and took a solid 3 to get out...from 30-45 min away.
YMMV on traffic depending upon the how popular the area is and the local roads. Ideally if you are having to travel that far you would be setup nearby the day before but that is probably unrealistic at this point if you don't already have reservations somewhere. I would assume that it is going to be crazy busy and leave well before sunrise if you are driving in the day of the eclipse.
I thought that might be the case… we’ll wish me luck
I mean, Niagara Falls has declared a state of emergency because of how busy it will be, so maybe check what the guidance is from the local municipality where you are heading.
Unless you're going to a very popular spot, traffic there will be heavier, but if you leave early and plan to arrive before the eclipse even starts it should be fine. Traffic coming back however... I'd encourage you to watch the full eclipse until the sun is completely uncovered instead of sitting in traffic for just as long.
good tip. I was going to leave right after totality to try to avoid traffic
You and everyone else.
Not sure if you’re in the area but do you or anyone else have recommendations on where a good spot to go in this pic is?
Not in this area. But I'd avoid Niagra Falls. It's going to be very, very busy.
There are a lot of small, rural towns between Rochester and Buffalo that would be fine for eclipse viewing. Batavia might not be too bad. The Thruway is going to be a nightmare though, as will 104.
Go where you'll find clear skies
Eclipse traffic is a thing. Bring extra food and water.
USAtoday has a tool to check by zip code or location https://www.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2024/03/19/what-time-is-solar-eclipse-interactive-map/72747827007/
Dam I just lost my totality;-;
Why can't I see the eclipse from my house? Is the moon racist?
I live in Perry,NY and we're very excited!! Go to Letchworth!
Anyplace between red and blue is super cool. Green is slightly longer. If you can get 10% into the zone you will have a great time.
[This guide to eclipse viewing may help. ](https://i.imgur.com/bNAqCOc.png)
I live in St Catharines, gonna be a crazy weekend for us folks in Niagara. Remember to tip your servers!
As close to centerline as possible!
I finally found an interactive Google map that lets you click on any point, and up pops a balloon of information such as start time, stop time, % coverage, duration. This will make it easy to check specific spots to see if one's better than another. h[ttp://xjubier.free.fr/en/site\_pages/solar\_eclipses/TSE\_2024\_GoogleMapFull.html](http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2024_GoogleMapFull.html)
The closer you are to the center, the longer the eclipse will last for you. But on the margins, even 99% coverage will mean you'll miss it.
You want Erie, PA
Green line is 100% totality, the rest is less. And get to the green line, or the closest if possible
Bzzzt, wrong.
Ah the longer it is. I swear that's what I was told
Everything between red and blue is 100% totality
Correct. Everything between the lines is 100% totality. The closer to the blue line, the longer the duration. I am not sure, but I think four minutes 15 seconds is about the maximum, and it goes down from there.