MESQUITE, Texas (AP) 鈥 Eclipse spectators staked out their spots across three countries Sunday, fervently hoping for clear skies despite forecasts calling for clouds along most of the sun-vanishing route.
North America won鈥檛 see another coast-to-coast for 21 years, prompting the weekend鈥檚 worry and mad rush.
惭辞苍诲补测鈥檚 from Mexico鈥檚 Pacific beaches to Canada鈥檚 rugged Atlantic shores, with 15 U.S. states in between.
鈥淚 have arrived in the path of totality!鈥 Ian Kluft announced Sunday afternoon after pulling into Mesquite from Portland, Oregon, a 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) drive.
A happens when the moon lines up perfectly between Earth and the sun, blotting out the sunlight. That means a little over four minutes of daytime darkness east of Dallas in Mesquite, where locals like Jorge Martinez have the day off. The land surveyor plans to 鈥渨itness history鈥 from home with his wife and their 3-year-old daughter, Nati.
鈥淗opefully, she鈥檒l remember. She鈥檚 excited, too,鈥 he said following breakfast at Dos Panchas Mexican Restaurant.
Inside the jammed restaurant, manager Adrian Martinez figured on staying open Monday.
鈥淲ish it was going to be sunny like today,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut cloudiness? Hopefully, it still looks pretty good.鈥
Near Ennis, Texas, to the south, the Range Vintage Trailer Resort was also packed, selling out of spots more than a year ago.
鈥淚 booked it instantly, then I told my wife, 鈥榃e鈥檙e going to Texas,鈥欌 Gotham, England鈥檚 Chris Lomas said from the trailer resort Sunday. Even if clouds obscure the covered-up sun, 鈥渋t will still go dark. It鈥檚 just about sharing the experience with other people,鈥 he added.
In Cleveland, the eclipse persuaded women's Final Four fans Matt and Sheila Powell to stick around an extra day after Sunday's game. But they were debating whether to begin their drive home to Missouri Valley, Iowa, early Monday in search of clearer skies along the eclipse鈥檚 path. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to be flexible,鈥 Powell said.
Even the eclipse professionals were up in the air.
Eclipse mapmaker Michael Zeiler had a perfect record ahead of Monday, seeing 11 out of 11 total solar eclipses after successfully relocating three of those times at the last minute for better weather.
鈥淲e are the complete opposite of tornado chasers, always seeking clear skies,鈥 Zeiler said in an email over the weekend. This time, though, he was staying put in Fredericksburg, Texas, with his family, 10 of them altogether, and holding onto 鈥渁 considerable ray of hope.鈥
Farther north, in Buffalo, New York, Jeff Sherman flew in from Somerville, Massachusetts, to catch his second total solar eclipse. After seeing the U.S. coast-to-coast eclipse in 2017, 鈥渘ow I have to see any one that鈥檚 nearby, he said.
Kluft also enjoyed clear skies for the 2017 eclipse, in Oregon, and rolled into Mesquite wearing the T-shirt from that big event. As for 惭辞苍诲补测鈥檚 cloudy forecast across Texas, 鈥渁t least I鈥檒l be around people who are like-minded.鈥
Dicey weather was also predicted almost all the way to Lake Erie, despite Sunday鈥檚 gorgeous weather. The only places promised clear skies along Monday's narrow 115-mile-wide (185-kilometer-wide) corridor of totality were New England and Canada.
Like everywhere else, the weather was the hot topic at the Buffalo Naval and Military Park on Sunday. By mid-morning, volunteer Tom Villa already had greeted tourists from several states, as well as Canada and Brazil.
鈥淭hey hope it鈥檚 like this tomorrow, of course, but you know, the weather is the weather,鈥 he said.
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AP reporters Jamie Stengle near Ennis, Texas; Carolyn Thompson in Buffalo, New York; and Stephanie Nano in Cleveland contributed.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute鈥檚 Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content
