Short Range Cloud Escaping

As mentioned in my previous post, if you are in the totality path, and the forecast in the original area that you have chosen calls for overcast or mostly cloudy skies, you could possibly travel as much as few hours east or west along the shadow path to get into clear skies- as long as you do it safely.

This one covers the possibility of escaping from the clouds in the final 45 minutes or so before totality.

Let's say that clouds are forecast to be in the area you’ve chosen, but you’ve decided to stay- perhaps because significantly clearer skies are too far away (long range cloud escaping is impractical), or perhaps you have other commitments later that day (although I will suggest making the eclipse a top priority!)

The goal here is to help you with those scenarios. 

The idea is this: if the sun has been playing hide-and-seek with the clouds during the early partial phases, and if there are heavy clouds that start to move in- or even one stubborn cloud- then you can think about driving a few miles down the road to find a clear patch.

As a reminder, I’m going to have a post later on about the types of clouds that are in the sky- some of them may actually dissipate in the final few moments before totality, so if those types of clouds are around, there may not be the need to move anyway. I'll also give tips on watching the motion of the clouds, as well as looking at satellite photos and loops.

In fact, I would suggest not moving unless there is an obvious need to move. But it may just simply take a drive of a few miles to escape from a stubborn cloud. I would suggest only moving if there was a large clearing, and it was reachable.

So let’s say that you’ve decided to make a run for it. I will stress: SAFETY is PRIORITY- this means your own, and others. It's good to remain calm and make careful decisions. Do NOT get into your car and significantly exceed the speed limit. In fact, don’t go faster than what the normal flow of traffic is allowing- which means that even the speed limit may be too fast. 

If you come to an intersection, make sure you stop if there is a stop sign or red light- and slow down and look both ways even if you have a green light or no stop sign. Keep a careful eye out for what other drivers are doing- they may not be following the rules of the road. Unfortunately, some may even stop in the middle of the road! Keep extra distance between you and the vehicle ahead of you.

Where and when should you pull over? If you can make it to a public location (parking lot, scenic overlook) in clear skies before totality, then that would be best. That being said, pulling over to a smaller road (perhaps dirt or gravel) may be fine. If you do, you should NOT pull too far into the grass on the side of the main road (there is a chance that your car could start a grass fire). Also, if it has rained recently, dirt roads may turn into impassable mud, and if there is a section where a creek or river is now overflowing and water is passing over the road, do NOT drive through that!

Do not cross fence or obvious property lines. If you are not sure, it's better to play that safe.

When storm chasing, I’ll frequently pull off the main road for just a few moments onto a dirt or gravel road (assuming it’s dry so my tires won’t get stuck), and I pull to the side of that dirt road. Again, I am not suggesting pulling over into the grass - keep your car on the dirt or gravel, just perhaps off-center so that other cars have room to easily pass.

You’d likely only be there for a few moments, so I’m hoping that should be ok. If you are asked to move, you can state that you are planning to leave shortly after totality, and the person asking you may allow you to stay- but if they do ask you to leave, then you may have to.

Of course, this is all assuming that you do NOT drive yourself outside of that totality path! It’s a VERY good idea to have detailed maps of the totality path to make sure you stay in that path.

(It may be too late to purchase road maps that have the path of totality on them. You could print screenshots of the interactive map that I've linked in several of my other posts, or purchase a map of the state you are in, and draw the path of totality on it (likely not perfectly accurate, but that should be sufficient, unless you are very close to the edge).

I really hope that no one has to encounter these situations, but I hope that, if you do, then the purpose of these posts is to help you consider escaping from the clouds while keeping yourself- and others- safe.

On a related note, escaping from the clouds can be a bit easier if you’re out in the countryside. For those of you watching from a largely populated area, or if you have plans to watch for a large festival or something similar, perhaps consider the possibility of changing your plans and going into the countryside to watch to give yourself a better chance to escape from the clouds. I’m certainly not saying that you should make the change. If you’re looking at the forecast, if the area where you originally planned to go has a decent chance for clear skies then stick with your original plan. Also, being in a large crowd can certainly add to the experience (if you like that sort of thing). The goal of this post is to help open up the conversation about moving locations if you feel it gives you the better chance.