One year countdown begins. Path of totality is well reported. Average prior cloud cover may influence your choice of viewing area: Total Solar Eclipse 2017 - Eclipse 2017 cloud cover charts Most 'path' hotels are already booked up, so other options may be consulted. Only downside I can see is that solar corona is less exciting during sunspot minima. First-timers, need for sensible eye protection is not overstated.
Birds really do act oddly during eclipse. Really. I had thought to hang out at SLC airport and pick flight to lowest cloud cover on day prior. That may not pan out. Perhaps other eclipse veterans will tell their stories here...
Camping? Backpacking? How timely. Just yesterday, after returning from a week's wilderness outing in NE Oregon, I pointed out to the group that this year's originally planned destination in Idaho is right in the path of totality next year. That destination was nixed at the last moment by asthmatics concerned about air quality from an upwind wildfire. Next year would be an excellent time to try that destination again. Crowds permitting. Though this cloud cover map also suggests that some other places would likely be better eclipse choices. I was in a place to witness the February 1979 total eclipse. Unfortunately, the nearest hole in the solid cloud deck was 200 miles away. The spouse and I had better luck for the annular eclipse in May 2012, where a slight travel schedule adjustment kept us within the central track. The weather was great, the eclipse happened during dinner. We didn't travel with any viewing aides, but restaurant staff and fellow patrons brought numerous items. And I helped some fix up their pinhole projection viewers.
Reminder: average cloud cover is climate and the day we care about is weather. This is why weather systems a day or two prior are really what we want to know. Length of totality is another consideration and peaks in S. Illinois. Should they happen to have stable high pressure, that would be great. Climatological low cloud cover (at low-elevation sites) extends from Madras, OR to Casper, Wyoming. The latter not being much of a tourist magnet most times
Most of youse guys won't enjoy looking at surface analyses, but this is how the game is played. See image below. See the blue H over Yellowstone (essentially) it is nice, but there are also two red Ls to the west and southwest. Conflicting air masses in the vicinity do not favor cloud-free skies. In contrast, see the blue H over Missouri. Oh baby, it calls out "here is your hole". The only thing I can guarantee is that the map next year will be different.
And I can guarantee that my hiking group's plans will need to be pretty well settled well before a meaningfully accurate similar map for next year becomes available. (This year, the 'last minute' disruption was more than a week before departure.) Thus, I'll have to play the climate odds. But then, the eclipse will probably be a secondary goal for me. If you are coming over specifically to see it, last minute flexibility is essential.
I previously suggested that because solar cycle is currently low, solar corona may be 'below average' for this eclipse. I have since seen a photo from 2016 (Jan., Indonesia) eclipse with excellent solar corona. So, do not be dissuaded. Get thee to the centerline.
Just now getting into the time when weather forecasts for all-important 21 Aug begin to show skill. Biggest feature is below-average T in middle of CONUS that apparently will persist. This may connect with more cloud cover there. Which cloud-cover forecast sites should we be looking at?
I live in Columbia, SC. Totality is going to be a visitor here. Hotels booked. People are even renting rooms in their houses for crazy $$. Wife is trying to convince me to rent out 2 or 3 of our extra rooms. 150 seconds of darkness. Should be fun. Our house is about 1/2 mile from Lake Murray and the lake is pretty much at the center of the totality path. The facility where I work is even better and is supposed to have ~153 seconds.
Rexburg ID for me, assuming I can make it through the crowds that are expected. I have been working on my solar photography skills. I think it would be easy to spend so much time taking pictures that you miss the eclipse.
I got to see one years ago in Ohio at an astronomy club gathering. I was surprised at how the temperature dropped! And it was really cool seeing it through some of the telescopes.
2009 India/Asia eclipse probably passed over heads of largest # people. Maybe, since ever. This time, US path and high mobility of people off-track may get nearly as many eyeballs into play. Also it seems more science will be done this time than ever before including citizen science.
Over here with partial a few years (decades) ago, it got very cold and all the birds and insects went really quiet, Shhhhh.. only a few homo sapiens were making a little noise.
