Preparing For An Eclipse
About a million Texans are preparing for a total solar eclipse. A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth. Parts of North America will experience a total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8.
Unfortunately, the forecast shows some ominous clouds that are threatening to ruin the weather event. But meteorologists are noting there could be breaks in the clouds especially as the eclipse occurs. Still from Del Rio to Dallas, Texans are welcoming thousands of visitors from around the world.
It’s incredibly important to use proper glasses to view the eclipse. Staring directly at the Sun during an eclipse can lead to permanent eye damage. However, in the minutes of totality when the Moon is completely blocking the Sun, you can remove the eyewear.
Fredericksburg will experience totality at 1:32 CDT and Dallas at 1:40. The path of totality then extends all the way into Canada, touching down in places like Cincinnati and Niagara Falls. Even with the clouds forecasted on Monday, the impact of the solar eclipse will be felt with about a ten-degree temperature drop.
Throughout Texas the festivities around the eclipse are plentiful. Kaufman County issued an emergency declaration last week in anticipation of an influx of visitors and traffic because of the eclipse. The Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas distributed one million glasses and will have scientists from the Carnegie Institute on site for the big day. Some are predicting that Dallas-Ft. Worth could receive over 400,000 visitors on Monday.
Fingers crossed that the clouds stay at bay for those crucial minutes of the total eclipse.
