Cloudy Skies Clear in Parts of Ontario for Successful Eclipse Viewings

Visitors use special glasses to watch the total solar eclipse from Niagara Falls, Ont., on April 8, 2024. (The Canadian Press/Aaron Lynett)

Relief and excitement were the emotions of the day April 8 for many hopeful eclipse enthusiasts in Ontario, with successful totality sightings in prime viewing spots despite Environment Canada’s prediction of “mainly cloudy” skies.

The eclipse’s path of totality passed through Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland on the afternoon of April 8, with millions flocking to sites within the band in the hopes of witnessing the rare celestial phenomenon. The path of totality refers to places where people will see the sun entirely blotted out by the moon.

Despite the cloud cover in the Niagara region, many in the crowd at the Falls remained in high spirits with cheers erupting as totality was achieved between 3:18 p.m. and 3:21 p.m.

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who was in Niagara Falls to witness the three minutes and 32 seconds of darkness first-hand, said the experience “exceeded expectations” in spite of cloudy skies.

“It felt like success because we all really wanted to see it in totality and we might have only gotten to see it for five seconds, but we did get to see it,” he said during live coverage of the event. “We could see the corona and that was just really special for me.”

“When it passed totality it was like an amazing ... sunrise coming across the clouds,” he added. “The clouds actually made a nice backdrop for it, so that was pretty special.”

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While Niagara Falls was originally expected to have more than a million people descend on the city to view the eclipse, Mayor Jim Diodati told the media Niagara Region’s decision to declare a state of emergency scared off many visitors to the city. He estimated there would be hundreds of thousands of viewers in town to witness the spectacle.

“It scared people. People immediately started cancelling rooms and started cancelling reservations,” he told the Niagara Falls Review early in the afternoon on April 8.

“This made headlines around the world and it’s really unfortunate, but you can’t get the toothpaste back in the tube. I get the rationale, but unfortunately we can’t change what happened.”

Prime Viewing

Eclipse viewers in Kingston, Ont., were able to witness the celestial event unhindered despite dealing with cloudy skies earlier in the day.

Videos posted on social media showed the “diamond ring” effect occurring in the sky before the moon completely covered the sun. Screams and cheers could be heard from the crowd at various viewing points in the eastern Ontario city as totality was achieved and darkness fell at 3:22 p.m. Totality lasted approximately two minutes and 52 seconds.

“The total solar eclipse from Kingston ... was awesome watching it turn to darkness and hear the birds, frogs, and coyotes start up,” one X user posted.

The reaction was similar in Hamilton, Ont., as the clouds parted enough for the eclipse to be viewed.

People watching from Bayfront Park to Pier 4 in Hamilton cheered as the moon became haloed by the sun and darkness fell at 3:18 p.m. The temperature dropped and skies darkened for one minute and 47 seconds.

“Diamond Ring Moment ... no camera can capture this moment perfectly,” one X user posted.

Eclipse viewings in Quebec were the best in the country, according to The Weather Network, which described the skies over southern Quebec as one of the best viewing locations “in all of North America.”

Viewers in Montreal saw the eclipse for roughly a minute and 25 seconds, while those in Sherbrooke experienced totality for three minutes, 23 seconds, just prior to 3:30 p.m.

Reactions to the eclipse were similar in both areas, with crowds gathering to watch the celestial show with awe. Gasps and cheers could be heard as totality was achieved.

One eclipse watcher in downtown Montreal took to X to describe the eclipse as “amazing—very blessed to be able to witness this beautiful moment.”

The skies were also favourable throughout central and northern New Brunswick, as well as the western half of Prince Edward Island. The eclipse was estimated to last two minutes and 12 seconds in Fredericton and two minutes and 54 seconds in northern P.E.I.

It’s been 45 years since the last total solar eclipse in the inhabited parts of Canada and the phenomenon is unlikely to occur again in the lifetime of most Canadians living today, the CSA said. While a total eclipse of the sun happens approximately once every 18 months, it rarely occurs in populated areas.

The CSA predicts the next total eclipse won’t occur in an inhabited region of Canada until 2106—82 years from now.