In Chapel Hill, North Carolina we had 93.3% coverage. That's not totality, but it was awesome nonetheless. I started observing at 1:30. It was about 91 degrees, not a cloud in the sky. Standing under direct sunlight, one would sweat within minutes.

Around 2 things started to get interesting. The first thing I noticed were the sharply-defined shadows. The sky was not as bright, either. You didn't have to squint when looking up! By 2:15 the temperature started to drop. And then something occurred which I hadn't expected--had never read about--a cool breeze started up. I didn't know if this was due to the eclipse or not, but it was noticeable and lasted throughout the event. (I have a friend who journeyed down to Columbia, SC to witness totality; he said a similar breeze occurred there.) I later learned this phenomenon is real and is termed an eclipse breeze.

By 2:30 the temperature had dropped several degrees. The shadows were even more sharply-defined. I'd never seen anything like it. Our black cat came out of hiding in his bush by the side of the driveway and gazed uneasily about. Take a look at the picture below. We have a large pin oak tree in our front yard. The sunlight passing through the spaces between the leaves acted like pin-hole projectors and cast hundreds of mini-eclipses on the driveway. So cool!

Greatest coverage occurred at 2:43. It was amazing. The light-level was a bit brighter than at dusk. Everything had a slightly green-orange tint. The air was cool. This phase lasted about fifteen minutes or so. Then the sky began to brighten. The temperature climbed. Though I wished otherwise, soon it was summertime once again.