With less than 24 hours until the the total solar eclipse, some gas stations have already run out of gas due to the thousands of people flocking to the best areas in states like Oregon to view the rare celestial event.
Since last week, several gas stations in Oregon, Wyoming, Idaho and other states in the path of totality for the eclipse have experienced some fuel shortages or long lines at the pumps.
Chevron stations in Bend and Prineville, Oregon ran out of gas beginning on Wednesday – five days before the eclipse, as other stations had super long lines where customers waited at least 30 minutes to refuel their vehicles, KTVZ reported.
Chris Huiard, a retail manager for fuel supplier Space Age Fuels, was worried about his trucks making it to the Central Oregon region over the weekend due to heavy traffic on the highways.
With less than 24 hours until the start of the total solar eclipse, some gas stations have already run out of gas as thousands are flocking to the best areas to view the rare celestial event. Pictured above is a gas station in Jackson, Wyoming
The traffic to enter Grand Teton National Park outside of Jackson, Wyoming is heavy as people are flocking to the best eclipse viewing areas around the country on Sunday. Some gas stations in small towns are running out of fuel due to the increase in traffic
A woman named Frida Ylianova took to Twitter to share there was no gas where she was located in Oklahoma on Sunday
‘Our plan is to take it day by day. We are going to be checking our inventory level at he stations we have,’ Huiard told KTVZ.
‘We have one in Bend and one in Sisters, so we’ll be checking that inventory every morning and trying to figure out how much fuel we need to get down there.’
Some have even taken to social media to share how they can’t refill their tanks due to gas station shortages in several states.
The Oregon Department of Energy cautioned that filling stations in the state may run out of gas ahead of the eclipse, but ‘to remember…it’s a temporary situation.’
‘The industry is responding with middle-of-the-night deliveries and in some cases multiple deliveries to the same station per day,’ the department said.
Another social media user noted the lines at the pumps off of I-76 in Nebraska on Sunday
This social media user shared a photo to Instagram of someone who stocked up on gas ahead of the eclipse
One social media user noted how gas stations could not keep enough fuel for tourists in their area
The Oregon Office of Emergency Management also warned about potential fuel shortages, especially in small towns or rural areas that are in the path of totality during the eclipse.
The Oregon Department of Transportation has said the eclipse is expected to bring the ‘biggest traffic event in Oregon history.’
An estimated one million people are expected to visit Oregon for the rare event.
Included in that number is the 30,000 people currently at the Oregon Eclipse Festival at the Big Summit Prairie ranch in Oregon’s Ochoco National Forest near the city of Mitchell.
The lunar shadow of the total solar eclipse on Monday will enter the United States near Lincoln City, Oregon at 9.05am (PST) and totality begins at 10.18am (PST). The eclipse will end in Charleston, South Carolina at 2.48pm (EST), and the lunar shadow leaves the country at 4.09pm (EST)
Map of the drive time to the center-line of the eclipse, this map does not take into account extremely heavy traffic in areas that are currently seeing swells of revelers
Another social media user noted how the rare event is ‘reminiscent of Woodstock’ and the shortages of gas
The festival, which started August 17th and ends August 23rd, is jam packed with revelers as tickets are sold out.
Officials speculate that some of the areas that experienced fuel shortages in the state was due to people filling up their gas tanks for the festival.
Luckily, prices at the pumps have remained steady and not increased dramatically as some had predicted.
Over the weekend, the statewide average in Oregon was just over $2.70 a gallon, according to Oregon Live.
‘I don’t think this is a situation where we’re going to see $5 a gallon gas,’ said Marie Dodds, a spokeswoman for AAA Oregon/Idaho.
‘Will we see $3 a gallon gas in some communities? Yes, because we’re already seeing that in some communities.’
In addition to concerns about gas shortages, officials have also cautioned that their will be traffic jams from the eclipse around the country.
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is warning drivers that the Monday celestial event could cause some of the worst traffic jams in the state’s history.
Authorities are worried about the traffic impact that the eclipse will have on small towns that are not equip to be flooded with people.
Don Hamilton with ODOT said ‘there may be a million people who descend on the state for the eclipse, especially in the 60-mile path of totality that spans the state from west to east,’ KRON reported.
Monday’s event will be the first total solar eclipse spanning the entire continental United States since 1918 and the first visible anywhere in the Lower 48 states in 38 years.
The next one over North America is due in just seven years, in April 2024.