PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The first coast-to-coast total solar eclipse in 99 years crossed 14 states Monday morning, with Oregon the first — and arguably, the best — state to see the celestial rarity.
More than 200 million people live within a day’s drive of the path of totality, and about 1 million arrived in Oregon for the event. The weather was nearly perfect for what is expected to be the most observed, most studied and most photographed eclipse ever.
The eclipse crosses Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina before continuing across the Atlantic Ocean.
In Oregon, KOIN 6 News has crews stationed throughout and near the path of totality. Follow their stories:LINCOLN CITY
Reporter Eileen Park was among the thousands who saw the first glimpse of the eclipse as it began in the United States at 9:04 a.m. Early morning fog lifted minutes before the eclipse began at 9:04 a.m, but heavy fog returned and settled in just before 10 a.m., disappointing thousands along the coast. Peak eclipse set for 10:17 a.m.
McMINNVILLE
Anchor Jeff Gianola is in the wine country of McMinnville as the eclipse blotted out the sun for 56 seconds.
SALEM
Reporters Tim Becker and Kohr Harlan were in Salem, the biggest city in Oregon directly in the path of totality. The sun’s corona was visible for 1:54 at 10:18 a.m.
PORTLAND
Oregon’s largest city will have near totalty — 99.36% — as the eclipse moves along the path at 10:19 a.m. Reporters Amy Frazier was at Tom Mc
Call Waterfront Park.
As the eclipse progressed, the hundreds of people gathered along the waterfront noticed a dramatic drop in temperature. Applause erupted as the nearest moment of totality arrived as classical music played.
Though Portland’s eclipse wasn’t total, it looked like dusk in downtown.
Those people who purposefully came to Tom McCall Waterfront said they did so to avoid the hassle, the traffic and the crowds. Others who came worked downtown, which made this the perfect spot.
No one was disappointed.
Lisa Balick spent the eclipse at a brewpub in North Portland. The Ecliptic Brewpbub brought people from all over to watch.
MADRAS
Perhaps the sweetest of the sweet spots along the entire path of totality is Madras. The weather looks to be perfect as the eclipse blocks the sun for 2:02 at 10:20 a.m. KOIN’s Jennifer Hoff and Andrew Dymburt are on the scene.
ON THE ROAD
Reporter Trevor Ault in Mobile 6 said traffic immediately picked up after the totality phase of the solar eclipse ended. At 10:30 a.m., he reported that I-5 southeast of Salem has incredibly heavy traffic.