Where will you be watching the April 8 total solar eclipse? There are just a few weeks left to pick your spot to see the skies darken along a strip of North America, whether by land, sea or air.
For those who live inside the 115-mile-wide (185-kilometer-wide) path of total darkness, it may be a matter of just stepping outside and donning special eclipse glasses to watch the spectacle unfold. For the millions outside the path, or those who just want to improve their chances of clear skies, it could mean hitting the road with a game plan.
The eclipse reaches Mexico鈥檚 Pacific coast in the morning, cuts diagonally across the U.S. from Texas to Maine and exits in eastern Canada by late afternoon. Most of the rest of the continent will see a partial eclipse.
WHERE TO WATCH THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
The weather will be key, and spring weather along the path can be dicey. Mexico and Texas offer the best odds of sunny skies, said retired Canadian meteorologist Jay Anderson.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no guarantee of sunshine anywhere 鈥� just better chances,鈥� he said.
Anderson studies satellite data for the previous 20 years to calculate how often a location has cloudy weather on any eclipse day. Besides Mexico and Texas, he said there are other promising spots on the path of totality, particularly along the Great Lakes.
The advice: If you鈥檙e flexible, start paying attention to local weather about 10 days out, and make your plans on the three-day forecast. Die-hard eclipse chasers often line up more than one location and make last-minute decisions based on the best forecast, he said.
HOW TO PREPARE LIKE AN ECLIPSE CHASER
One veteran eclipse chaser recommends picking a location and make it a vacation so that the eclipse is 鈥渢he cherry on top鈥� and not the only highlight 鈥� just in case things don鈥檛 work out.
Tom Schultz will be traveling from his retirement home in Costa Rica to watch the eclipse from his mother-in-law鈥檚 house in Rochester, New York, along with other relatives.
鈥淚f we get rained out, we鈥檒l get this great family reunion,鈥� said Schultz.
Veteran Anne Marie Adkins could drive across town in San Antonio to see the total eclipse, but opted to join an astronomer-led tour to Mazatl谩n, Mexico, betting on clear skies there. She鈥檚 been thwarted by clouds on other trips. For the 2017 U.S. eclipse, she went to Nebraska and had to scramble that day to find better skies.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a gamble. You never know what you are going to get,鈥� said Adkins.
Post-eclipse traffic is a particular worry, especially in more rural areas like the Texas Hill Country. Patricia Moore, of the Bandera visitors center, said last year鈥檚 鈥渞ing of fire鈥� eclipse provided a dress rehearsal for police and other first responders. Tiny Bandera 鈥� the 鈥淐owboy Capital of the World鈥� 鈥� expects crowds from nearby weekend music festivals.
鈥淎fter the eclipse will be a challenge,鈥� she said.
WHERE ARE THE ECLIPSE WATCH PARTIES?
With the eclipse falling on a Monday, cities and towns along the path have lined up a weekend full of activities and watch parties to attract visitors. There are a multitude of music festivals and gatherings planned at museums, parks, wineries and other businesses hoping to capitalize on the buzz.
Niagara Falls has a slate of events for days and is expecting July Fourth-sized crowds for the eclipse, said Sara Harvey, spokeswoman for Destination Niagara USA.
There are multiple vantage points to watch the show from Niagara Falls State Park, and the famous Maid of the Mist tourist boats may be running, weather permitting, she said. Even if it鈥檚 cloudy, visitors will get 鈥渁 beautiful view of the falls,鈥� Harvey said.
In Waco, Texas, festivities will culminate on eclipse day with science-themed activities outside Baylor鈥檚 McClane stadium, along what鈥檚 called Touchdown Alley.
It may be too late to snag a cabin on a cruise ship positioned off the Mexico coast for the eclipse, but there are other watery options including a ride on the paddle-wheeler Victorian Princess on Lake Erie from Erie, Pennsylvania.
If the sky beckons, Southwest and Delta have identified flights that will fly along or near the eclipse path. A special Delta flight from Austin to Detroit quickly sold out, prompting the airline to add another from Dallas.
Looking for an different kind of place to watch the sun, moon and Earth align? The Indianapolis Motor Speedway will host NASA astronauts and other guests. Cedar Point amusement park on Lake Erie in Sandusky, Ohio, is opening for the day. And the Little Rock Zoo in Arkansas is throwing a tailgate fundraising party and inviting visitors to watch the zoo鈥檚 residents react to the midday darkness.
You can also spend the day visiting the planets. In northern Maine, a scale model of the solar system is displayed along nearly 100 miles (160 kilometers) of U.S. Route 1. Retired geology professor Kevin McCartney expects to unveil a new 23- foot-tall (7-meters-tall) roadside sun at the University of Maine at Presque Isle on eclipse day. 鈥淵ou won鈥檛 be able to miss it,鈥� he said.
Anderson, the weather expert, said it鈥檚 well worth the travel to see the 鈥渟pecial magical moment鈥� of a total eclipse: 鈥淚t鈥檚 the Taylor Swift of natural events.鈥�
Stephanie Nano, The Associated Press
