DALLAS — North Texans are preparing for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Brandon Vasquez is a teacher for Dallas ISD and says he's been looking forward to Monday’s total solar eclipse for a while now.
“I’m ecstatic. I teach fourth grade during the day and I’ve been talking to my students about this for months now and kind of been building the anticipation,” said Vasquez.
Close to half a million visitors are expected to travel to DFW to witness the astronomical phenomenon.
Jesper Busk and his son Storm came all the way from Denmark to Dallas, which is the largest metropolitan area in the path of totality. It will be their first time witnessing a total solar eclipse.
Road travel is expected to increase by 30% from Sunday to Monday. Hotels and Airbnb’s are sold out across North Texas. Dallas police plan to block off exits leading into downtown along IH-35E, Woodall Rogers, Central Expressway, IH-45 and IH-30. However, as the much-anticipated historic day draws closer, weather forecasts show cloud cover could hinder Dallas-Fort Worth’s view.
“It's like one of those things where you want to be as prepared as you can, but I mean, it's only a span of four minutes. I think with three or four minutes of totality, it's going to be really disappointing if it gets covered up by some clouds,” said Vasquez.
The weather pattern could affect the path of totality across the Lone Star State, an area that encompasses the entire IH-35 corridor from Travis to Collin counties.
Things don’t really seem to clear up along the path of totality until you reach northwest Arkansas, which is about 400 miles away and a 6- to 7-hour drive.
You’ll also pay more at the pump, as gas prices are above average, sitting around $3.40 for a gallon of regular.
We asked Vasquez if he would be willing to make the trip.
“I don't think I would. Just because it's such a big investment for a couple of minutes, but I don't know, maybe if I had the time and the money to dish out like that, I probably would.”
Wouldn’t we all?