It’s here.
After weeks of planning and fretting, today is eclipse day.
Clark County isn’t in the path of totality for the first total solar eclipse to pass over the United States since Feb. 26, 1979, but will see about a 99-percent partial eclipse. The weather looks like it will cooperate.
Today is expected to be sunny with a high of 87 degrees, David Bishop, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Portland, said.
“There might be a cloud or two up there, but nothing substantial to impede viewing the eclipse,” he said.
Temperatures typically drop during an eclipse, but Bishop said there probably won’t be that extreme of a temperature change in the Clark County area.
“Five degrees is not out of the question,” he said. “Nothing too crazy.”
Prepare for backups
An estimated 1 million tourists are traveling to Oregon to view the eclipse, which is expected to start in Clark County around 9:06 a.m., while maxing out at 10:19 a.m. and finishing up around 11:38 a.m.
The traffic in the area hasn’t been too crazy yet. Still, officials aren’t sure what to expect today.
“We could see some really big backups on Monday morning,” Bart Treece, Washington Department of Transportation spokesman, said. “The hotels in Vancouver, Kelso and Longview are sold out for the weekend. It could be pretty tough for Monday morning commuters if everyone is heading south.”
Treece said he’s not sure how the after-work commute will look today, either.
“Folks in Oregon have asked people who are visiting to arrive early, stay put and leave late. We’re hoping that people take the message to heart,” he said. “If everyone visiting central Oregon decides to head back (today) we could see some big backups.”
As of early Sunday evening, Clark County hadn’t seen traffic problems out of the ordinary.
“We had some backups up near Chehalis, and some backups when there’s (an Interstate) Bridge lift, but that’s it,” Treece said.
WSDOT’s Twitter account sent out updates Sunday afternoon that said it was slow moving from Thurston and Lewis county lines down towards Centralia.
Traffic in Oregon was moving smoothly as of Sunday afternoon, according to the Associated Press.
Even if the multi-state traffic jam hadn’t hit as of Sunday, officials still want commuters and tourists prepared for today, when many are expected to make their way to the path of totality. The Oregon Office of Emergency Management sent out a press release Sunday urging drivers to pack a “sufficient supply of water, plenty of snacks and an emergency supply kit.” The same release also warned eclipse viewers using solar eclipse glasses to make sure the glasses have an ISO logo and a note that indicates “the glasses meet the requirement for ISO 12312-2:2015.”
“If you are watching, do it responsibly via eye protection or through devices like a pinhole viewer,” Bishop said.
