As we continue to move past April 8’s solar eclipse, more and more information on its local impact is being revealed.
Late last week, New York state officials broke down the pretty impressive number of visitors who watched the skies and enjoyed a nice weekend at state parks across New York.
As expected, the numbers were record-setting. In all, nearly one million people visited New York state parks between April 6 through April 9. State officials say it was an attendance increase of more than 45% over 2023.
Nearly one million visitors showed up to New York State Parks to witness and celebrate the total solar eclipse. On April 8 alone, New York State Parks welcomed more than 326,500 visitors, an over 52% jump in attendance compared to last year.
Not surprisingly, many of those parks were downstate where the skies were a little more inviting for the big solar event.
State officials deserve credit for recognizing the importance of the April 8 total solar eclipse and making plans accordingly.
Gov. Kathy Hochul opened campgrounds at state parks within the path of totality early to accommodate visitors for the total solar eclipse, which were 100% booked the night of April 7 and 93% booked the night of April 8. To welcome visitors, New York State Parks and Historic Sites hosted numerous eclipse-viewing gatherings on April 8. Additionally, scientists, subject matter experts and astronauts from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) provided programming and exhibits at Niagara Falls State Park through April 8.
“We planned for more than a year to welcome a record number of visitors during the total solar eclipse, and those preparations helped this event go off safely and successfully,” Hochul said.
There were certainly no issues here, that we’re aware of.
And not just the parks had a good handle on things. Both the New York State Thruway Authority and the New York State Department of Transportation recorded significant increases in vehicle travel, and the New York Power Authority provided nearly double the charging miles for electric vehicles when compared to the previous week. On April 7 and 8, the New York State Power Authority reported that EVolve Stations dispensed over 260,000 miles of driving, which is over 115,000 more miles dispensed than the same days the previous week.
Once again, everyone seemed to have a good handle on things.
New York State Department of Transportation staff and resources were fully engaged up to and through the eclipse monitoring traffic conditions, responding to emergencies and helping motorists get to their destinations safely and with as few delays as possible. As expected, New York state experienced moderate to heavy traffic volumes in certain areas along the path of totality, especially in the North Country and Adirondacks, and aside from a few crashes that were addressed quickly, there were no major reported incidents.
Good to hear. It’s worth noting again that our biggest complaint about an event of this magnitude was the cloudy skies.