Totality plunges Erie, surrounding region into darkness

ERIE — The timing in Erie couldn’t have been better for a once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse, which shrouded the city in darkness for a few minutes Monday afternoon.

A dreary morning gave way to sunshine and clear skies around 2 p.m. as the moon began carving ever-larger chunks out of the sun. It culminated with just under four minutes of sudden, jarring darkness that elicited cheers from thousands of people at Perry Square in downtown Erie.

TOTALITY BABYYYYYYY pic.twitter.com/x9peGaivj2

— Patrick Varine - Tribune-Review (@VarineTrib) April 8, 2024

“It makes me feel really lucky to be in this specific place and time,” said Fayten El-Dehaibi, who drove from Pittsburgh on Monday to view the eclipse. “It really makes you think about the scale of the solar system, too.”

Anthony Blakney of Erie was going to skip a trip to Perry Square, but changed his mind at the last minute.

“I’m really glad I did,” he said. “It’s something everyone should see in their lifetime.”

The true centerpiece of the totality was a glimpse of the strange, wispy atmosphere of the sun, which was briefly visible. With a jet black moon at its center, the sky looked like something out of a science fiction novel.

“It’s pretty wild how all of these things have to line up to make it happen for just a few minutes,” said Noor El-Dehaibi of Pittsburgh.

Brothers Logan and Austin Kemerer traveled from Pittsburgh to Erie on Monday.

“You hear all about it, but until you see it for yourself … it’s just a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Logan, 21.

Brothers Logan and Austin Kemerer of Pittsburgh relay their total eclipse experience. #Eclipse2024 pic.twitter.com/3inp6GAwKY

— Patrick Varine - Tribune-Review (@VarineTrib) April 8, 2024

In addition to the lights going off, the temperature in both Erie and Cleveland dropped significantly as the moon covered most, and then all, of the sun.

Ava Krause, 13, who traveled more than four hours from Schuylkill County with her family, had her own theories about the astronomical event.

“I made it last longer by holding my breath!” she said excitedly as the sunlight returned to Perry Square.

It’s the second eclipse for her father Isaac Newswanger, who traveled to Greenville, S.C., in 2017 for a total eclipse lasting just over 2 minutes and 30 seconds. It was a transformative experience that turned his family into part-time eclipse chasers.

“Up until there was about a minute to go, I just kept thinking, this is a waste of time and money, I traded shifts with two people to do it,” he said. “And then it happens and it’s just so far beyond what you ever expected.”

Gov. Josh Shapiro stopped by to address the crowd at Perry Square before heading to nearby UPMC Park to view the eclipse and totality.

NASA scientists were on hand in Erie, educating the public, handing out eclipse glasses and letting anyone in sight know — don’t look at the sun.

“Every solar eclipse, local hospitals report eye injuries in the days and weeks following a solar eclipse,” said Charles Blue, part of NASA’s planetary science division. “A lot of times, people don’t realize the damage until later.”

Orin Stiffler, 10, wasn’t in any danger. He watched the eclipse from his family’s backyard in nearby Wesleyville.

“It looked like the moon was devouring the sun,” he said. “Then during the totality, it looked like a black hole.”

Heavy cloud cover and late-morning rain didn’t put a dent in Christine Spece’s plans for Monday. The Harrison resident and two friends were originally traveling to Erie to see the eclipse, but the weather caused them to hang a sharp left and head for the Cleveland area.

“We got a call from my friend’s daughter that it was happening, and we ended up watching it in an Arby’s parking lot,” Spece said in a phone call. “It was wild how it got so dark in an instant.”

Jody Snebold of Tarentum traveled with her family to Rushford Lake in Caneadea, N.Y., which had a more brief eclipse window compared to Erie.

“It was a beautiful day Sunday, then we woke up today to clouds,” Snebold said in a phone interview. “But they cleared just in time to give us a great view of the totality. We were able to see the corona (of the sun) and everything. Even the animals got quiet.”