Total solar eclipse: As it happened
After years of anticipation and planning for many around our region, we experienced Eclipse Day! Enjoy taking a look back at the day's events through our moment-by-moment coverage.
The following includes reporting from WXXI journalists and contributors.
Looking good!
Roadways were looking good as of 4:30 p.m. with no traffic jams or issues on the highways around Rochester, said Tim Henry, emergency manager for Monroe County.
Events still are ongoing at Innovative Field, George Eastman House and the RMSC, he noted, so there is a chance that traffic might yet pick up.
With area hotels reporting a number of guests staying the night, people might see higher-than-normal traffic volumes during the morning commute on Tuesday.
But otherwise, officials say the cloudy weather likely pushed the influx of daytrippers from the south and east to areas like Jefferson County and into the Adirondacks.
Totality time-lapse
Go from day to night to day again during the total solar eclipse in Rochester, New York, in this 24-second time-lapse video by WXXI photojournalist Max Schulte.
Totality at Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario at the moment of totality in Ontario, Wayne County (video courtesy of Mary Holleran).
Rochester pauses for a moment
Moments around the region
Pulling up a patch of lawn
Clouds in Geneva
On the rooftop
Visitor from Philadelphia
Visiting Rochester, Jim Ortlieb from Philadelphia timed his eclipse experience to line up with Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon."
People head to Parcel 5
Hoping for the sun
So far, so good ... but that *may* change
Traffic volumes remain low with no congestion in our region, according to NYS DOT. Same for Wayne County, which previously declared a state of emergency. BUT officials say
— Brian Sharp (@SharpRoc) April 8, 2024
much of the anticipation is about the post-event traffic, so stay tuned.
Tune in at 3 p.m.!
Cloudy conditions
A view from Cobbs Hill
RMSC is a hot spot
Main Street in Brockport
Visitor from Manhattan
Bing Guan drove up from Manhattan to watch the eclipse in Rochester, and while he's a little disappointed by the cloudy conditions, he still plans to make the most of his trip.
Gatherings at Highland Park Reservoir
Buy me, Seymour!
Playing at The Strong
Kodak moments here ...
Pinning his hopes
Where's all the gridlock?
Not that we're complaining, but why aren't local roads gridlocked? Our eclipse expert Scott Fybush has the following analysis.
Dedicated eclipse chasers are following the weather closely, and the traffic maps bear that out.
With cloudy conditions forecast for Rochester and Buffalo, much of the expected traffic to our part of the state hasn't materialized. But to the east, predictions of clear skies from the Champlain Valley across northern New England are resulting in clogged roads as people head north from Boston and southern New England to catch the show.
After the path of totality leaves western New York, it turns northward, so only the very northern part of Vermont, the extreme northern tip of New Hampshire and remote northern Maine will experience totality.
The scene from Brockport
Brockport has set up the line of totality in a field, which is filling up at midday.
Larry Pough and Brenda Murphy Pough came from Rochester and talked about what they were hoping to see:
A big day for photographers
Ben Bodner of Rochester sets up his camera and his father's telescope on the High Falls viewing platform. His parents were visiting from out of town.
Here, Michelle Roffman, an Earth science teacher from Penfield, says, “I’ve never done this but I’m going to try” as she wipes the lens clean while setting up on the High Falls overlook.
Visitors from Pennsylvania
Noah Buxton, Nancy Martin and Peter Martin drove up from northern Pennsylvania to view the eclipse in Rochester.
An economical eclipse
Jim Bodner from Virginia set up a low-tech — and quite economical — telescope at the viewing platform at High Falls to view the eclipse.
Musical interlude at the George Eastman Museum
The George Eastman Museum celebrates Eclipse Day with spacey pipe organ music.
Fun with colors!
Prime spot for photogs
Planning for this day
Mother and son Lori and Ryan Moses are locals who have been looking forward to the eclipse. On Monday morning, they were at High Falls for a prime viewing spot.
Getting an Eclipse Day Genny
It was first-come, first-served to watch the eclipse at Genesee Brewhouse, and WXXI News photojournalist Max Schulte was there as the very first customers arrived Monday.
Visitors from Arizona
Visitors from Virginia
Tenants only, please
With lots of visitors expected in the region, Westage at the Harbor in Irondequoit is making sure only tenants arrive at (and leave) those apartments to keep the parking lots clear.
Talking about the conditions
Reese Revak from Philadelphia, in town for the eclipse, talks about today's cloud cover:
Visitors from the Netherlands
Jan and Marco Vanderkolk, two organists from The Netherlands, are staying in Brockport for the eclipse — and touring churches with interesting pipe organs. They're seen here trying out the Parsons Opus II at St. Luke’s in Brockport.
Calm before the big show?
Here's a view of 590 looking southbound at Elmwood around 10 a.m. today. Post-eclipse traffic jams are expected for roads heading south and east of Rochester.
State officials say the weekend traffic in the Finger Lakes region was normal, and even Thruway traffic was light near all exits. At this point, no indication of higher-than-normal volumes, just a consistent light flow.
Maybe leave the doggos home today
Should you bring your pup along to any eclipse gathering today? He'd probably be happier staying at home, actually:
Safely photograph the eclipse
If you're wondering how to photograph the eclipse today, our editor Jeremy Moule and Max Schulte made this how-to video:
Highway traffic still light
Our photojournalist Max Schulte reports local highways are light, but it's still early. Rochester Mayor Malik Evans has said 300,000 to 500,000 people are expected today.