How's the weather in Oak Ridge Monday for viewing the eclipse? A little iffy

Donna Smith, The Oak Ridger
Updated ·2 min read

Will the weather in Oak Ridge make it easy for us to see the partial eclipse of the sun Monday afternoon?

It's a little iffy.

According to timeanddate.com, viewing of the eclipse in Oak Ridge can begin at 1:48 p.m. and end at 4:23 p.m. with 3:07 p.m. being the time at which the eclipse can be seen in Oak Ridge at its peak. The timeanddate.com website offers more information on the eclipse, as well.

Clouds and rain aren't good for eclipse watching, as you might have guessed.

As of Monday morning, the National Weather Service/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website was showing this forecast for today: A 40 percent chance of showers, mainly before noon. Mostly cloudy.

You might want to check the website a little closer to Monday afternoon, the address: https://www.noaa.gov/.

(Here's how to take a photo with your camera phone).

Students will be released early Monday

Students in Oak Ridge Schools will be released Monday on the Wednesday early dismissal schedule. The schedule:

  • Preschool: 11:45 a.m.

  • Elementary: 1:30 p.m.

  • Middle: 12:45 p.m.

  • High School: 1:49 p.m.

  • Secret City Academy: 1 p.m.

"We made the decision to allow families the opportunity to experience it together and give them the flexibility to view it anywhere they would like," Molly Gallagher Smith, the school system's communications specialist, said in a emailed reply to The Oak Ridger's request for information. "Also, if we didn't release early, the timing of the eclipse would have essentially coincided with students riding the bus, causing them to miss it entirely."

Anderson County Schools are also releasing students early on Monday.

Ryan Sutton, Anderson County Schools' communications specialist, is the "star" of a YouTube video on the eclipse and viewing it safely by using certified eclipse glasses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPu2NcqOmF8. Among the takeaways from Sutton's video:

  • "Using your selfie camera to stare at the sun is about as safe as trusting a raccoon with your lunch."

  • "An 80% eclipse is like a ninja sneaking up on your eyes when you least expect it."

Eclipse glasses?

If you haven't bought your certified eclipse glasses yet, you might be out of luck. The American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge's gift shop sold out of eclipse glasses about two days ago, the person answering the shop's phone said Friday.

You might have luck at these retailers, according to the American Astronomical Society:

But this list is no guarantee that the local stores will have eclipse glasses. Good luck.

The Oak Ridger's News Editor Donna Smith covers Oak Ridge area news. Email her at dsmith@oakridger.com and follow her on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, @ridgernewsed.

This article originally appeared on Oakridger: How's the weather in Oak Ridge for viewing the eclipse? A little iffy