Solar eclipse in Niagara Falls kind of a bust due to overcast weather

@ankushbali/X

The masses heading to Niagara Falls, Ontario, on Monday afternoon to witness the rare total eclipse underwent a hectic rollercoaster of emotions as overcast skies threatened to ruin the anxiously awaited event.

Though the gloomy forecasts proved correct and clouds dampened the day from the get go, viewers in the tourist destination who were preparing for utter disappointment found themselves surprisingly blessed with a pretty decent view of the key moments of the show around 3:20 pm.

They were saying Niagara Falls, ON/NY, was the best spot to observe the eclipse, but since it was cloudy we thought we wouldn’t be able to see it. Fortunately exactly during total eclipse time the clouds have helped and we’ve got excellent takes as you can see here.

— Nilo Stolte, PhD 🍁⚙️ (@nilostolte) April 8, 2024

Many celebrated the clearing of the skies at the last minute for the peak of the celestial phenomenon, sharing snapshots of the corona on socials to prove that conditions weren’t as bad as naysayers said.

Onlookers cited “quite a lot of cloudiness” but said that Mother Nature co-operated just enough for them to see a few good glimpses of various stages.

“Obviously you’d want a clear sky, but we were glad for the little peeks we got!,” one person in the area wrote on X.

Some day in and around Niagara Falls today! Thousands were taken on a roller coaster of emotions as the overcast weather looked to dampen the spirit only for the Solar Eclipse just in last minute! Epic scenes! Amazing energy with scores of people returning homing with a big smile… pic.twitter.com/aWwkXoceor

— Joy Joshi (@JoyJJos) April 8, 2024

But, among these more positive takes was a fair bit of negativity as well.

Those who took the day off work and spent a lot of time and money to trek to Niagara and rent a ridiculously-priced hotel room for the occasion were understandably a little upset that the experience wasn’t up to par, with one sharing a video of their very grey view writing “I want a refund.”

And then there are those who are taking to socials to mock anyone who made such extensive (and expensive) plans just to be let down, especially given the forecasts leading up to April 8.

i’m pissing my pants laughing the eclipse in niagara was anticlimactic and it was cloudy too so you couldn’t see anything😭 if you bought plane tickets to see it, I feel bad for you

— kay 🌙🦇 is seeing mel 6/9 !! (@ho1dOntillmay) April 8, 2024

There were also a few conflicting accounts, with some who live in the Niagara region saying that they don’t believe the shots of the eclipse shared online could have actually been taken there given the cloud cover they witnessed.

My schoolmates went to Niagara Falls for the eclipse and shared their photos with our school groups. I guess the weather didn’t cooperate as hoped. Still, it’s great to hear from someone who lives there!

— Brian Xie (@BrianXieTCG) April 8, 2024

A few who also claimed to be in Niagara at the time shared their dismay at the unaccommodating weather, saying it prevented them from seeing the sun at all, though they tried to make the best of it.

“We didn’t see the eclipse, too cloudy, but we did see the cloudy sky go very dark in the direction of Niagara on the path of totality. That was kinda cool,” one person added on X.

Niagara Falls is bad enough as it is without a botched solar eclipse viewing. Sigh – they can always hit up the wax museum instead. https://t.co/XTDL3kBcGh

— Crocs Jock (@Robertdrew82) April 8, 2024

Niagara, which was expecting record-breaking crowds of around a million people for the event today, declared a state of emergency and shut down some of its streets in anticipation.

GO Trains headed from Toronto to the more southern city were jammed from early in the morning — as, unlike TO, Niagara was in the eclipse’s path of totality — but early photo and videos showed a less-bonkers turnout than some may have thought.

But, clips closer to the peak time of around 3:20 pm indeed showed mobs of people eventually arriving to pack in front of the Niagara River to catch the eclipse.

You might also like: