The Latest: Clear skies predicted for most of eclipse path

AP Photo/Don Ryan

The Latest on the total solar eclipse crossing the U.S., from Oregon to South Carolina (all times EDT):

11:25 a.m.

Forecasters say it looks like a big chunk of the nation on the path of the total eclipse will get clear viewing for the sky show.

National Weather Service meteorologist Patrick Burke says about 70 percent of the area on the 70-mile path stretching from Oregon to South Carolina is likely to have clear skies when the moon moves in front of the sun.

Burke says it looks good for the Pacific Northwest, the Northern Rockies, Tennessee, Kentucky, and into western South Carolina.

The toughest areas are coastal South Carolina, eastern Nebraska, north and central Missouri and Illinois. Burke says those areas will have thick clouds and have to dodge pop-up thunderstorms.

Astronomers say clouds and rainstorm make it difficult to see the classic image of the blotted out sun.

– AP science writer Seth Borenstein

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9:45 a.m.

With just hours to go before a total solar eclipse would reach the Oregon coast, people were streaming into the fairgrounds in Salem, Oregon, to view the spectacle Monday morning.

The sound of Taiko drummers filled the air during a pre-eclipse show at the fairgrounds. Less than 50 miles north in Portland, Oregon, eclipse experts, contest winners, an astronaut and members of the media were boarding an Alaska Airlines charter flight to fly two hours southwest in to intercept the eclipse about 10 a.m. PDT.

Meanwhile, thousands of eclipse tourists were gathered in the tiny town of Weiser, Idaho. Among them was Agnese Zalcmane, who traveled to the western United States from Latvia so she could be in the zone when the moon’s shadow completely covers the sun.

– AP writer Gillian Flaccus

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3 a.m.

Americans with telescopes, cameras and protective glasses are staking out viewing spots to watch the moon blot out the midday sun Monday.

It promises to be the most observed and photographed eclipse in history. The main drag will stretch along a narrow corridor from Oregon to South Carolina. Millions of eclipse watchers are expected to peer skyward, and they’re hoping for clear weather.

It will be the first total solar eclipse to sweep coast-to-coast across the U.S. in 99 years.