Copperas Cove gets view of total solar eclipse in spite of clouds
By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press
The four minutes and 25 seconds of totality worked in favor for residents of and visitors to the Copperas Cove area to get a view of the April 8th total solar eclipse.
It gave residents and visitors more time to wait for any cloud interference to pass and give a view of the event.
During the days weeks leading up to Monday afternoon, one thing in the weather forecast was certain: Central Texas would see clouds.
But it wasn’t until Monday morning that those hoping to see Bailey’s beads would know how much the clouds would hinder their view.
When Monday morning came, there was the mixture of high and low clouds as predicted by meteorologists, and it was the lower clouds that proved to be a viewing challenge from time to time as the day went on.
Viewing locations in the city included residents’ own yards, with some residents hosting out of town guests from across the country.
Also, the festivals continued at Ogletree Gap Park and Copperas Cove City Park, with both festival waiving the parking fee on eclipse day.
Over in Cove Terrace Shopping Center, Waffle Cone and The Norns held their own mini-festival in the parking lot between the two businesses.
The Copperas Cove Public Library held a viewing party, offering snacks and solar eclipse glasses for sale.
Also, there was a kids’ craft of making and launching water bottle rockets.
Copperas Cove Library Director Kevin Marsh demonstrated the progression of the moon crossing over the sun as the eclipse began its progress on Monday.
While some visitors to the area pulled out of Copperas Cove prior to Monday in search of clearer skies, others waited it out in Copperas Cove and Kempner to see what would happen.
When totality began at approximately 1:35 p.m., darkness fell across the area as the moon blocked out the sun. In the Wells Ranch subdivision, cheers rang out throughout the neighborhood as the temperature dropped and the streetlights came on during totality.
Afterward, traffic did not seem to be an issue in the Copperas Cove area, as some had predicted might be a challenge immediately after sunny skies returned.