Total solar eclipse set to arrive in Canada later today. Here’s the timeline

As a once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse closes in on portions of eastern Canada, several cities across Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick are gearing up for an influx of sightseers that plan on standing in utter darkness across the path of totality on April 8.

The celestial event will first hit Ontario from the south just before 2 p.m. EDT on Monday and depart Newfoundland just after 5 p.m. EDT, or 6:30 p.m. NDT.

Hot spots like Niagara Falls and Kingston, Ont., Montréal, Que., and Fredericton, N.B., will get maximum coverage with some experiencing it for as long as three and half minutes as the moon passes between the sun and Earth.

Should weather conditions cooperate, provincial and local police services are bracing for packed roadways and potential bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Here’s more on what to expect at the most popular spots hosting viewing events.

Expected Maximum Totality (maximum coverage of the sun): 3 mins. 43 secs. between 3:18 p.m. to 3:21 p.m. EDT

Fort Erie, Ont., will be the Ontario municipality with the best sightline for the path of totality, equating to the longest time under darkness: close to four minutes.

The northeastern shores of Lake Erie and southeastern Niagara Peninsula will also have totality lasting three-plus minutes.

The last time Fort Erie area saw a solar eclipse was in 1925 and another one won’t be back until 2144.

Expected Maximum Totality (maximum coverage of the sun): 1 min. 47 secs. between 3:18 p.m. to 3:20 p.m. EDT

Hamilton, Ont., will be right on the north edge of the path and will see the first piece of the moon’s shadow just before 2:04 p.m. and experience totality at 3:18 p.m. for about two minutes.

Hamilton has designated four large parks, some conservation areas and Tim Hortons Field