Red Lodge's Van Dyke Park Best Place in Carbon County for Public to View Eclipse
Forecast as of Sunday at 9:06 p.m.
By Denise Rivette
Based on data from the National Weather Service, it looks like the City of Red Lodge’s Van Dyke Park across from the Red Lodge Airport will be the best place in Carbon County for the public to view the eclipse tomorrow, as it is expected to have the least sky cover (clouds). Van Dyke Park is the location of the Whistler Observatory which, while not scheduled to be open tomorrow, does provide the public with a concrete pad outside the building for viewing the wonders of nature.
In our area, the peak of the eclipse will happen at 12:42 p.m. and the shadow will reach the center of the sun. The entire process will last just over two hours. At no time during the eclipse will it be safe to look directly at the sun in our area without special glasses. If you don’t have special glasses, you can still observe the wonder of the eclipse with a collander, box or other household items. See how HERE.
Predicted Eclipse Watching Conditions Around Carbon County at Noon on Monday:
Bearcreek: Sky cover - 57% Temperature - 41° Windchill - 33° Winds - 14 mph
Bridger: Sky cover - 72% Temperature - 45° Windchill - 39° Winds - 13 mph
East Rosebud Lake: Sky cover - 74% Temperature - 35° Windchill - 29° Winds - 7 mph
Fromberg: Sky cover - 77% Temperature - 45° Windchill - 39° Winds - 14 mph
Joliet: Sky cover - 75% Temperature - 45° Windchill - 37° Winds - 18 mph
Red Lodge Mountain: Sky cover - 57% Temperature - 36° Windchill - 27° Winds - 15 mph
Red Lodge City: Sky cover - 53% Temperature - 40° Windchill - 32° Winds - 14 mph
Red Lodge Airport: Sky cover - 52% Temperature - 38° Windchill - 30° Winds - 13 mph
Roberts: Sky cover - 67% Temperature - 44° Windchill - 37° Winds - 16 mph
Roscoe: Sky cover - 68% Temperature - 43° Windchill - 36° Winds - 13 mph
Warren: Sky cover - 63% Temperature - 40° Windchill - 32° Winds - 16 mph
Even if you don’t have much interest in watching the actual solar event, you might want to keep an eye out for how your pets and wildlife react (or marvel at your fellow humans). With only a partial eclipse locally, animal behavior changes may be hard to identify. However, in places experiencing totality, animals often go through their entire nighttime routine only to be “awakened” a few minutes later.
Have a wonderful day however you choose to enjoy or ignore the solar eclipse.