The Great American Eclipse: Should I stay or should I go?

Traveling to see the total eclipse vs. staying local for the 90% eclipse

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – On August 21st, America will experience a solar eclipse that crosses the entire continent, which has not happened since June 8th of 1918, according to NASA. All of the country will be able to see at least a partial eclipse. The 70-mile wide path of the total eclipse passes through 14 states, beginning in Oregon and ending in South Carolina. 

Locally, we will see about a 90% eclipsed sun that afternoon for a little over 2 minutes, so the big question is should I stay or should I go?

Going

Traveling to see the total eclipse is a popular choice- very, very popular it seems. So popular you'll be hard pressed to find a hotel room. The hotel rooms that are available are running at premium prices, many with 2 to 3 night minimum booking requirements. Even alternative methods like online sites where people rent rooms from their home are pretty full at this point. Staying with friends or family that live within the path is the most economic and best option at this point if you do not have a reservation. 

Traffic is expected to be heavy. It's estimated that over 100 million people live within a day's drive of the path of totality- while clearly not everyone is interested is the eclipse, a percentage of that population will make the drive to experience the total eclipse. Experts are predicting the worst travel woes to be in the small mid western towns within the path- not built for the volume of visitors they are expected to experience. Locally, I think northbound traffic on I-95 will be heavy on Sunday, but the worst will probably be Southbound I-95 traffic on Sunday after the eclipse. Traffic will be a tad more spread out leading up to the eclipse= some people will go up Friday after work, some on Saturday and others on Sunday- but after the main event most will try to leave to get back to work/school on Tuesday. Side roads and google traffic maps will be your friends- please drive with caution as accidents will exacerbate the already clogged traffic. Experts recommend arriving to your planned viewing location early. Also if you are driving during the eclipse please do not stop in the roadway to view it. 

The most extreme predictions call for the potential for shortages of gas and food supplies at small gas stations along the travel thoroughfare, but that is not likely along I-95 in South Carolina, which often sees high volumes of travelers. Those scenarios are extreme, and the potential for that lies almost exclusively in very small, remote towns within the path, not near any interstates. 

Despite the potential headaches and challenges of traveling to see the eclipse, every single person I've talked to that has witnessed a total eclipse says it is a near life changing, awe-insipring, coolest-thing-you've-ever seen experience that a partial eclipse just doesn't provide.  Also, only within the path of totality c an you remove your glasses briefly- during the total eclipse you can remove your glasses and see the corona (upper atmosphere of the sun), possible solar flares, and Bailey's beads during this short time. 

Staying

Despite the fact that our area isn't with the path of totality- we are pretty close. The sun's shadow will begin moving over the sun at 1:16p.m. for us, and will cover 90% of the sun at 2:47p.m.- meaning that in the middle of the afternoon it will look a lot like dusk, the temperatures will drop briefly- and it will be an awesome sight to see. You will need eclipse glasses at all points during the eclipse if you watch locally. 

Watching the eclipse locally means you already know the area and can better plan for a spot to watch it. Several locations around town are holding watch parties and events. Elevation may help with a good spot- tops of parking garages, and balconies in high rise buildings work great-just make sure other high rise buildings do not obscure your view of the sun during that time of the day.  

If you are worried about cloud cover, head towards the beaches. Usually this time of the year we see a see breeze forming in the afternoon hours that pushes cloud cover inland and away from our coastal zones.