In Oklahoma, there is excitement, opportunity — and caution — ahead of the solar eclipse

Oklahoma sees Monday's total solar eclipse as a chance to show off the state's hospitality, and some agencies have been preparing since 2022.

Gov. Kevin Stitt held a Tuesday news conference with representatives from eight state agencies and offices. All were excited about the event but cautioned safety before, during and after the event.

“It's going to be huge for tourism and a chance for us to show off the Oklahoma standard ... Oklahoma hospitality,” Stitt said.

Tourism Secretary Shelley Zumwalt said the economic impact of the eclipse is estimated at about $7.4 million per day over the weekend and on the day of the eclipse.

She expects the event will be a boon for tourism. From 2021 to 2022, Oklahoma had about $11.8 billion in growth for tourism overall, and 32% of that was in Oklahoma and Tulsa.

“This is an opportunity for us to show off those places in Oklahoma that aren’t necessarily being on the news every single day because they are special and they are important and they are worth taking people to and having them visit,” she said.

The path of totality in Oklahoma has changed slightly, according to recent study

When the path of totality crosses southeast Oklahoma on Monday it will completely cover McCurtain County and partially cover Choctaw, Bryan, Atoka, Pushmataha, Latimer and Le Flore counties, officials say. A recent study by John Irwin, a master in eclipse computations, said the totality path will be slightly more narrow in Oklahoma. The town with the longest total eclipse viewing time will be Shults, Oklahoma, about three miles east of Idabel. That area is expected to have four minutes and 19 seconds of viewing time, according to eclipse2024.org. The eclipse will reach the Sooner State starting about 1:44 p.m. and end by 1:51 p.m.

Oklahoma Department of Public Safety Commissioner Tim Tipton said the best estimate of people traveling to the area of totality is about 60,000 to 70,000 people, based on reservations and rentals. Tipton said there were no active threats that would escalate the event.

More: New data shifts 2024 solar eclipse's path of totality. How much of Oklahoma will miss out?

“Our ultimate goal is preventing anything bad from happening, whether that be man-made or a natural event,” Tipton said, adding that traffic control was the main issue, "but we're deployed in a way that we’ll be able to adequately respond to any type of incident that might occur.”

What to expect from traffic in the solar eclipse path of totality in Oklahoma

Tipton said southeastern Oklahoma has mostly two lane roads with no shoulders and compared the potential traffic conditions to Broken Bow Lake on a summer Friday.

He said the trucking industry had been notified that oversized loads won’t be allowed through the area on Sunday and Monday, the day of the eclipse.

Transportation Director Tim Gatz advised making sure gas tanks were full in view of potential traffic congestion and said that since cellphone reception in the area is spotty, it would be a good idea to carry a paper map or atlas.

Lt. Col. Joe Williams, of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, advised viewers of the eclipse to pull completely off the roadway and not to stop on shoulders or grassy areas on the side. He said headlights should be used during totality and that in the event of a crash drivers should remove their vehicles from the roadway, exchange information and notify law enforcement.

Five active construction zones in the eclipse area will be obstacles to navigate. State Highway 109 is closed south of Fort Towson for a bridge replacement. About two and a half miles north of the Texas border, U.S. 271 is narrowed down to one lane in both directions for another bridge replacement. Another construction zone to be aware of is State Highway 375 near Daisy, which is down to one lane in either direction.

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Office of Emergency Management Director Annie Vest said her agency has been planning since 2022 with other state agencies. She thanked local emergency managers and the Southeast Regional Coordination Center for stepping up to lead the preparation efforts.

National Weather Service and Science Operations Officer Todd Lindley said the long-range forecast for the eclipse area calls for partly sunny skies with temperatures in the 70s and only a 20% chance of rain and storms.

The next solar eclipse over Oklahoma won't come until Aug. 12, 2045.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: April 8 total solar eclipse bringing tourism, traffic to Oklahoma