Cloudy skies likely kept crowds away from Kingston for total solar eclipse, city says

Kinston was considered to be among the best spots in the world to view the rare celestial event due to its location along the path of totality.

The City of Kingston says cloudy skies likely kept away the crowds that had been anticipated for Monday’s total solar eclipse.

City officials had said they were expecting anywhere between 70,000 and 500,000 visitors for the eclipse, depending on weather.

Kinston was considered to be among the best spots in the world to view the rare celestial event due to its location along the path of totality.

But forecasted cloud cover meant much of the anticipated day trip visitors made other plans, the city said in a release Tuesday.

Brad Joyce, commissioner of infrastructure, transportation and emergency management, thanked locals for abiding by the city’s requests to avoid driving and staying close to home to see watch the eclipse.

The city pre-emptively closed roads and planned several viewing events across the city in an effort to keep access clear for emergency vehicles.

“The reduction of daily vehicle travel was substantial and made it much easier to maintain emergency services, health service access and transit,” Joyce said in a statement Tuesday.

“Thank you to the community and our residents who helped by experiencing the eclipse from their neighbourhoods, this allowed us to reopen roads and resume service sooner and faster than planned.”