What Bay Area residents can expect to see from the solar eclipse

SAN FRANCISCO - As millions of people turn their heads to the sky on Monday to get a look at the rare celestial event, Bay Area residents can expect to see just 35% of the solar eclipse.

The good news is that the weather will be mostly clear and sunny – unlike the clouds predicted for some states in the "path of totality," stretching from Texas to Maine, with Cleveland and Rochester, NY, in between. The first to be able to see the eclipse will be those in Mazatlan, Mexico. 

Despite the partiality of the eclipse in Northern California, some people are making special plans to take it in San Francisco. 

"We love coming to San Francisco, and this is another excuse to come to San Francisco other than a Warriors game," Patrick Barnes said.  "We think it's worth seeing because 20 years from now I'll be 94." 

San Francisco State University, the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco and the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland all held solar eclipse viewing parties to witness about four minutes of the peak of the phenomenon. 

About 400 people lined up outside the Chabot Space and Science Center to watch the stellar event. 

"It's my first time seeing one," Kailan Nairu said. 

In the end, the partial eclipse could be seen in the Bay Area. 

Strapping on the proper eclipse glasses, residents were able to peer up at the sky and see the dark moon cross the orange sun at about 11 a.m.