TOLEDO, Ohio — After months of anticipation, the total solar eclipse is just a few days away, now within range of the WTOL 11 weather forecast. While the fleeting moments of totality will pass by quickly, you will never forget the experience of witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime solar spectacle. How long will totality last here at home and across the country?
Firstly: What exactly is totality? Totality describes the time period when the sun is fully obscured by the moon's shadow, or umbra. The path of totality represents the track of the moon's shadow across Earth's surface.
On April 8, the path of totality will span thousands of miles from Mexico to Maine, encompassing much of the lower Great Lakes region including Ohio. The umbra will pass over the southwestern Untied States in the early afternoon, totally obscuring the sun between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. in cities like Dallas and Austin, Texas.
Totality will occur during the mid to late afternoon in the Midwest and New England, and cities like Toledo, Cleveland and Buffalo will experience darkness shortly after 3 p.m. The umbra will cross into Canada, providing cities like Montreal and Hamilton with the opportunity to witness totality later in the afternoon.
The path of totality includes many major metropolitan areas in Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Approximately 31 million Americans live in the path of totality, almost three times the number residing in the 2017 total solar eclipse path.
So how long will totality last and who will enjoy the total solar eclipse the longest? For most of the Toledo metro, totality will last only around two minutes. Total darkness will envelop the city of Toledo at 3:12:18 p.m., ending 1 minute and 51 seconds later at 3:14:09 PM. Southern and eastern suburbs will have a few extra seconds to watch the total solar eclipse. This chart shows the time in totality as well as start and end times for a number of towns in the vicinity of the Toledo metro.
Suburbs like Rossford, Perrysburg and Maumee will witness totality for slightly over two minutes. Further south, the city of Bowling Green will see close to three minutes of darkness from 3:11:22 p.m. to 3:14:21 p.m. The further southeast you live, the longer the total solar eclipse will be visible.
How does these times in totality compare to other cities across the country? First off, let's look at other cities in the Buckeye State. The path of totality encompasses most of northwest and central Ohio, stretching from Dayton to Lima and Cleveland. Looking at midsize and major metropolitan areas, Toledo's time in totality will be among the shortest in the state.
Dayton will see 2 minutes and 46 seconds of totality. Cleveland will see pitch black skies for 3 minutes and 50 seconds on the afternoon of April 8. Wapakoneta will enjoy the show for 3 minutes and 55 seconds, among the longest duration in the state.
In our area, Forest, Ohio will see totality for the most time with a full 3 minutes and 56 seconds of darkness. While this is certainly an impressive amount of time, some cities in the southwest will see up to 4 minutes and 28 seconds of totality, nearly twice the maximum duration of the 2017 total solar eclipse.
This chart shows the "four minute club", or a list of cities that will witness total darkness in the shadow of the moon for over four minutes. Cities in Texas such as Eagle Pass, Uvalde, and Killeen will see well over four minutes of totality.
Topping this list are the Mexican cities of Nazas and Zaragoza, which will enjoy almost four and a half minutes of totality. While these cities all fall in the sweet spot within the centerline path of totality, many major metro areas will only witness total darkness for one to two fleeting minutes.
RELATED: Will the temperature drop during totality? How the total solar eclipse can affect the weather
This map shows some of the biggest metropolitan areas in the path of totality and how long totality will last. No matter how long totality occurs, the spectacle of total darkness will be equally impressive, just a bit more brief.
WATCH MORE FROM WTOL 11