{"id":18839,"date":"2017-08-20T20:50:34","date_gmt":"2017-08-20T12:50:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/solar-eclipse-traffic-and-weather-oregon-feels-the-calm-before-totality\/"},"modified":"2017-08-20T20:50:34","modified_gmt":"2017-08-20T12:50:34","slug":"solar-eclipse-traffic-and-weather-oregon-feels-the-calm-before-totality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/solar-eclipse-traffic-and-weather-oregon-feels-the-calm-before-totality\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar eclipse traffic and weather: Oregon feels the calm before totality"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Clouds partially obscure the sun over Oregon Solarfest in Madras, Ore., precisely 24 hours in advance of Monday\u2019s total solar eclipse. (GeekWire Photo \/ Alan Boyle)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

MADRAS, Ore. \u2013 Traffic to Oregon\u2019s total eclipse zone has been surprisingly light over the past couple of days, but officials say they\u2019re not out of the woods yet.<\/p>\n

The traffic flow to Salem and Corvallis on the west side of the Cascades, and to Madras and points eastward on the dry side of the mountains, has been \u201cvery manageable,\u201d Lou Torres, a spokesman for the Oregon Department of Transportation, told GeekWire today.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do anticipate that it\u2019ll pick up later this afternoon, and into tonight and Monday morning,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

After Torres spoke, Oregon DOT and the Oregon State Police reported slowdowns on Highway 97 between Redmond and Madras. Tripcheck.com\u2019s traffic flow map showed troublesome red spots, and traffic through downtown Madras was bumper-to-bumper.<\/p>\n

\"Traffic
Tripcheck.com shows traffic backed up at a key intersection in Madras, Ore. (Tripcheck Map and Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In advance of Monday\u2019s total solar eclipse, transportation officials had warned that roads could be mired by travelers heading for Oregon and other Western states.<\/p>\n

All of North America will see a partial solar eclipse: The moon will cover about 92 percent of the sun from Seattle\u2019s perspective at the eclipse\u2019s 10:20 a.m. peak.<\/p>\n

But 100 percent darkness can be witnessed only along a 70-mile-wide path that stretches from the Oregon coast to South Carolina. Oregon DOT and other state agencies have been preparing for months for a tourist influx that was expected to amount to as many as a million visitors.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday and Thursday, it looked as if the apocalypse was here: At one point, Highway 26 leading eastward from Prineville, Ore., was bogged down in a 30-mile traffic backup.<\/p>\n

However, that traffic jam was transitory, due primarily to travelers heading for the Oregon Eclipse Festival at Big Summit Prairie in Ochoco National Forest. Once the crowd of 30,000 festivalgoers got settled, the roadways returned to normal.<\/p>\n