April 10, Guides Β» Solar Eclipse. Published April 10, at a. Updated April 17, at a. Vermonters had hoped for clear skies but braced for disappointment, given that the so-called "Great American Eclipse" was to take place during the state's notoriously cloudy mud season. In the end, the Green Mountains proved to be one of the best places in the country to watch the moon cross in front of the sun.
Just days earlier, a late-season nor'easter had dumped more than a foot of snow across much of the state. Yet eclipse viewers awoke on Monday morning to blue skies; temperatures would exceed 60 degrees in Burlington.
Bands of wispy clouds did creep above Lake Champlain as the day wore on. But for most Vermont viewers, the high, thin cloud cover didn't obscure the sun's unforgettable appearance as a pearly, ethereal corona. Communities as small as Alburgh and as large as Burlington staged days of celebrations designed to attract residents and tourists. While many viewers sought such communal experiences, others chose quieter settings β open fields, mountaintops and backyards β to witness the three-plus minutes of totality.
Hundreds of private planes descended on airports around the state. Nearly touched down at the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport on Monday β the most in a single day in the airport's history. Hot-air balloons hovered in the skies, and four thrill seekers managed to book a precisely timed skydiving trip over Addison. Vehicles from up and down the Eastern Seaboard clogged interstates and two-lane byways as people chased what's typically a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Many came to Vermont just for the day, then endured bumper-to-bumper traffic to head home. Others took a mini-vacation, packing guest homes, hotels, parking lots and eateries over the preceding weekend. At dawn, they carried a comforter, extra socks and a cooler with two Modelo beers over to Waterfront Park, where they claimed one of the eight swinging benches along the lakeshore.
