Eclipse weather forecast: Sunny skies expected on Long Island and upstate

For those planning to watch the solar eclipse Monday afternoon on Long Island, the National Weather Service is calling for sunny skies — and a daytime temperature in the high 50s.

Most places in upstate New York in the 120-mile wide path of totality also have a promising forecast for Monday — partly to mostly sunny skies, according to the weather service.

In the United States, the eclipse path will start over Texas and end over Maine before moving out over Canada and then into history, the experts said.

The closest Long Island will get to totality is about a 90% blockage of the sun — and that should happen around 3:26 p.m.

Areas of upstate that will fall directly in the total-eclipse path will experience a brief period of total darkness due to the obstruction of the sun. State officials confirmed Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Watertown and Plattsburgh all are in the path — and warned of potential traffic-related delays due to crowds of visitors flocking to those areas to watch.

Officials have issued countless reminders this week to the public, warning that eclipse-rated solar glasses are needed no matter where to watch the eclipse.

Those specialty glasses have an ISO rating of 12312-2. Only they afford the eye protection needed, officials said.

Never try to look at the sun with regular sunglasses, officials said. The specialty glasses are thousands of times darker than ordinary sunglasses.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”