I tried to watch, even though I am about 60 miles north of the line, but, the clouds were a problem.
With events like that, if there is a small error in the calculations, you MIGHT get lucky. It’s not so big a problem now, but, back in the 80s, you had to spread folks out over miles to maybe catch an event.
You have to be prepared for things like that.
Clouds and trees were a problem for me. At least there is a photographic record of it. Pretty cool!