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According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), “The ‘Great American Eclipse’ centerline will enter Texas at the Mexico-U.S. border near Eagle Pass at 12:10 p.m. and leave the state near Texarkana at 3:06 p.m. Totality will last between 1-5 minutes, depending on location.”
State parks will be packed, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).
As to non-travel effects of the eclipse, news outlets have speculated that there could be Internet slowdowns, cell outages and potential power impacts. Many schools in the path have decided to close that day to avoid any eclipse-related pitfalls.
Affected municipalities have been coordinating events, first responders and awareness messaging over the past several weeks to provide constituents with the best information and experiences.
Here, we've rounded up highlights on the path, preparations and predictions.
TEXAS TOTALITY
The predicted path has shifted somewhat, according to new data, which may mean more Texans will be able to experience a once-in-a-lifetime event. Predictions indicate nearly 13 million residents live in the eclipse's path.
Cities experiencing full eclipse are Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio; smaller cities include Texarkana, Sulphur Springs, Tyler, Waco, Fredericksburg and Kerrville.
Forbes reports Denton will experience a 99.95 percent partial eclipse, portions of Austin and San Antonio will have a wider path than predicted, and Houston will have 94 percent coverage.
CELLPHONE RECEPTION
KXAN-Austin reported that AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile didn’t anticipate problems.
“Cellphone carrier AT&T said people across different networks saw slowdowns during the last eclipse in 2017. Since then, customers have gained access to 5G service — meaning nearly 100 times the number of people can be on the network at the same time compared to previous 4G capacity,” KXAN reported.
AT&T put out a fact sheet outlining network capabilities. As to FirstNet, built by the company, 85 public safety agencies across the U.S. have requested eclipse support.
TEXAS ENERGY
The Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News reported that energy generation shouldn’t be of concern, although solar power production will be reduced between 12:10 to 3:10 p.m. Monday. In short, there is a predicted dip of more than 10,000 megawatts of power capacity; however, there is no overall shortage predicted.
During the partial eclipse in October, ERCOT’s fuel mix shifted to more natural gas power generation as solar power production declined, according to news reports. ERCOT COO Woody Rickerson recently told the PUC that the same strategy would likely be used during Monday’s event.
“We are fortunate that this solar eclipse is occurring in April, not August,” he said.
CROWD SURGE
Johnson County Emergency Management Director Jamie Moore told the commissioners court in March about concern over the predicted 1 million-plus Texas visitors. The county seat is Cleburne, not too far from Fort Worth, and the county has about 203,000 residents.
Referencing an “Eclipse Information Situational Awareness Brief” from the Texas School Safety Center, school districts in the area decided to close, according to the Cleburne Times-Review.
The after-action report contains dire warnings about traffic congestion, Internet and cell service interruptions and electric charging station backups. As in weather emergencies, the brief includes warnings about grocery supply and demand, fuel shortages and long commute or travel times.
Schools didn’t want students to endure late and overlong bus rides home. Multiple Hill Country schools are also closed Monday.
The Dallas Morning News, in ongoing eclipse coverage, reported that larger North Texas city first responders are planning as they would for any large event.
The Dallas Office of Emergency Management is coordinating with state, county and local agencies in anticipation of a swell of visitors.
“Our focus is to make sure that all of our partners are aware of what the other partners are doing,” said its interim director, Travis Houston. “So we’re positioned and leaning forward in a way that we can support any needs that may arise as a result of the event.”
EMERGENCY DECLARATIONS
Travis County, home to Austin, and Kaufman County, along Interstate 20, are two counties that declared emergencies due to eclipse travel.
Additional counties with emergency declarations, according to The Dallas Morning News, are Bell, Kerr, San Saba, and Kendall.
