National Eclipse

ECLIPSE OVERVIEW

The centerline of the eclipse enters Texas, and the U.S., as it crosses the Rio Grande River at the Mexico-U.S. border at approximately 12:10pm CDT, with totality beginning in that location at about 1:27pm CDT.

As it exits Mexico and enters the U.S., traveling through the Texas Hill Country, the eclipse will have already reached its "point of greatest duration," that singular spot along every total solar eclipse centerline where the duration of totality is longer than anywhere else. That point is also the duration of totality "tipping point," meaning that the duration gradually increases along the centerline up until that point and then starts to decrease on the other side. In other words, for the 2024 eclipse, the duration of totality is all downhill in the U.S., with the longest durations in Texas and the shortest in Maine. Therefore, the path of totality in Texas will be considered a prime viewing destination on April 8. And since the point of greatest duration in Mexico is only a little more than 300 miles to the south of where the path of totality enters the U.S., the duration of totality on the centerline will only be a few seconds short of the eclipse maximum of 4 minutes and 28 seconds even a couple of hundred miles north of the border.

If the longest durations of totality in the U.S. wasn't enough, Texas is also widely considered to have the best eclipse-day weather prospects in the country. More specifically, eclipse weather forecasting site eclipsophile.com points out that, in Texas, "the north [or west] side of the track has a notably sunnier April climate than the south [or east]." In general, the farther south you are for this eclipse, the better your weather odds. And you can't get any farther south along the path of totality in the U.S. than Texas.

Texas will also be the place where perhaps more people will witness totality than anywhere else in the U.S., not only because Texas is such a large state and the path of totality covers so much ground here, but also because Texas is where the path happens to cross the three largest cities—San Antonio, Dallas, and Austin—it will encounter during its journey across the country. In fact, not long after the eclipse enters the U.S., the 120-mile-wide path of totality crosses over the most populous city along its path in the U.S. Unfortunately, though, San Antonio sits right on the eastern edge of the path of totality with about half of the city inside the path and half outside. Downtown attractions like the River Walk and the Alamo are outside the path of totality and you'll need to be in the northwestern part of the city to see a total eclipse—although totality durations will be relatively short here along the edge of the path. If you're at SeaWorld San Antonio, for example, you'll witness totality for about 2 minutes and 3 seconds, with the duration steadily decreasing to the south and east. If you're in the San Antonio area and want to more than double your totality viewing time, drive west on Interstate 10 to reach the eclipse centerline about 60 miles away.

Just a bit farther north, the eclipse crosses over the Texas state capital, Austin. As with San Antonio, Austin lies along the eastern edge of the eclipse path where durations of totality will be relatively short. Luckily, though, totality will be seen within most of Austin's city limits, with just a few areas in the southeastern part of the city outside the path. Downtown Austin will get about 1 minute and 44 seconds of totality, with durations dropping off as you go south and east. By early April, Austin's famous Congress Avenue Bridge bats should have arrived from their winter grounds in Mexico. It will be an interesting experiment in animal behavior to see if the bats emerge from under the bridge during the eclipse.

The sprawling Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex area spreads out from the western limit of the eclipse path all the way to the centerline, offering residents and visitors plenty of places to view totality. For the cities themselves, Dallas is centered about halfway between the centerline and the western limit of the eclipse path while Fort Worth is closer to the western edge. In downtown Dallas, you'll enjoy about 3 minutes and 51 seconds of totality. Fort Worth will get about 2 minutes and 33 seconds of totality downtown, with durations decreasing as you go north and west and with a few areas outside the path of totality in the far northwestern part of the city. On the other, less heavily populated, side of the centerline from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, interstates 45, 20, and 30 can be used to reach the maximum durations found near the centerline. Houston is relatively close on the eastern side of the eclipse path. Drive west on I-10 to reach the path in under three hours or north on I-45 to reach totality in under two. Shreveport, Louisiana, is within easy striking distance via Interstate 49 or I-20 and can make a good basecamp for eclipse expeditions.

The centerline of the eclipse exits the state as it crosses the Red River at approximately 3:06pm CDT, with totality coming to an end in that location at about 1:49pm CDT. From the Mexico-Texas border to the Texas-Oklahoma border, the Moon's shadow travels approximately 478 miles along the centerline in 17 minutes and 29 seconds at an average speed of 1,641 miles per hour.