This post covers a very important subject that I suggest that
all who visit the totality path think about: what would you do if the forecast
calls for cloudy skies at eclipse time in the area that you're wanting to view
it?
I will be posting some links later that are useful for reviewing weather
forecasts and updates. Note that, just because the forecast calls for clouds,
doesn't mean that you should necessarily leave and drive to clearer skies. Certain clouds may dissipate; going to clearer skies may be too far.
But let's
assume that- at least for this scenario- we're talking about a situation where
the forecasts are calling for very heavy clouds where you are planning to be,
and clear skies somewhere else in the path of totality.
So how can we figure out
how far you and your group could go? Well, imagine that your close friend or
family member is getting married, and has invited you. The wedding is on a
Saturday afternoon, and several hours away. You'd love to drive in on Friday
evening- just to make the next morning easier for you- but you have something very
important on Friday night. You'd love to stay in the area on Saturday after the
reception- just to make things easier- but you have to be somewhere early
Sunday morning. So, the scenario is: because of your important commitments
Friday evening and Sunday morning near home, you have to wake up Saturday
morning- drive several hours, attend the wedding and at least part of the
reception, and then drive back- all in the same day.
In that case, how far
would you go? Would you drive 1 hour each way? Of course you would. Would you
drive 2 hours each way? Most likely yes. Would you drive 10 hours each way? Most
likely no- not because you don't want to, but because that may be unsafe
(perhaps multiple drivers could handle such a day) but more so because it's
impractical.
How would your friend feel?
If you told your friend that you wouldn't drive 1 hour (each
way) to attend her wedding, or maybe 2, she would be understandably frustrated.
But if you told your friend that you would not drive 10 hours each way to
attend her wedding, she would understand.
So- gather with your eclipse chasing
group- and discuss this scenario with them. If the maximum that you would go to
attend your friend's wedding is 4 hours each way, then you should drive that
far to escape from any heavy clouds and see one of nature's most incredible
spectacles!
You may think: but I'd be interested in attending my friend's
wedding; I'm not into the eclipse that much. I'll use my experience in eclipses
to tell you: as long as you're able to get enough sleep the night before; as
long as you are able to eat sufficient meals during the day; as long as the
length of the drive does not exceed what you and your group can handle; and as
long as you are able to make it to your destination by a reasonable hour at the
end of the day, the drive to get into clear skies (staying in the totality
path) WILL. BE. WORTH. IT. Do you need inspiration? Read the stories and watch
the videos on my earlier posts on this blog.
It is my goal to get everyone in
the totality path (that has the capability) to be willing to drive a MINIMUM of
3 hours each way (east or west) along the totality path to escape from the
clouds. Get a good night's sleep- wake up- get dressed- get breakfast- drive 3
hours- watch the eclipse- get lunch (or the last 2 in reverse)- drive 3 hours
back- get dinner- settle into a hotel or home: that's a long day, yes, but in
my opinion: it's a VERY doable day.
Using the wedding comparis on above, you can
come up with your answer to this question.
One tricky thing to figure out: I've
been talking in a time scenario- what about distance? Normally, using highway
speeds, 3 hours (for example) would get you about 200 miles or so. But traffic
may have it be less than that. More on the traffic in another blog post.
Most important: if you do travel to escape from the clouds, then STAY WITHIN THE ZONE OF TOTALITY. A cloudy totality is still better than a clear 99% partial (and of course you may have a hole in the clouds anyway).
Most important: if you do travel to escape from the clouds, then STAY WITHIN THE ZONE OF TOTALITY. A cloudy totality is still better than a clear 99% partial (and of course you may have a hole in the clouds anyway).
I'll encourage comments about this below; or you can email me
at eclipseaugust2017@gmail.com if you would like. Thanks for reading this!
I generally agree with this article, and I have traveled to avoid clouds on more than one eclipse. However, I disagree with this sentence: "A cloudy totality is still better than a clear 99% partial ...." I would much rather see a clear 99% partial than totality under clouds, and I say that as somebody who has experienced totality under clouds (plus 6 others not under clouds).
ReplyDeleteI've seen 15 totals with 2 clouded out. I've never seen a 99% eclipse. So can't comment. 99.9% maybe.
ReplyDeleteSuppose I fly from the east coast to a place in central Oregon and find out all of Oregon is socked in there. Would I take a chance and fly to South Carolina where I heard it is Sunny, and I only have several hours to spare??
ReplyDeleteLots of good advice in your post Mark. My wife and I had an interesting experience in Uganda for the 2013 eclipse. We were just about through setting up all our camera equipment etc halfway through the first partial phase when the clouds rolled in. The group leader (we were with a Travelquest tour) made the call to quickly pack up everything and high-tail it down the road several miles to find a spot under a break in the clouds. With iPhone Apps tracking that we were still in the path of totality, we stopped at a clear spot with 5 mins to spare before C2 and set up our equipment again just in time. It was only later that we found out that the skies cleared over our original site and we could have stayed there! Clear skies to everyone on the August 21. Rod
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