FREDERICKSBURG, Texas (KXAN) — The crowds expected to arrive in central Texas over the weekend for the eclipse must have changed plans. The streets of Fredericksburg, about 80 miles west of Austin, were quieter than expected ahead of Monday’s total solar eclipse.

“We had more foot traffic today than we did yesterday. But it’s just not anything other than a normal weekend basically for Fredericksburg, Texas,” said Shana Menzies, who operates a local food truck. “I think some of it is the weather, the cloudiness expectations and the rain expectations. They’re moving to other states.”

In Texas, the south-central region was locked in clouds, but it was a little bit better to the northeast, said National Weather Service meteorologist Cody Snell. The best weather was expected at the tail end of the eclipse in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, as well as New Brunswick and Newfoundland in Canada.

People who did travel to Fredericksburg for a shot at seeing totality were surprised to find sparse crowds.

“We got our groceries outside of Austin because we thought it would be packed,” said a tourist from Parker, Colorado, who was identified only as Pam.

“They told us it was going to go from 10,000 population to 110,000 population,” said Jean Bentley from Salt Lake City.

Outside of T-shirts and a single sign advertising eclipse glasses, you wouldn’t have known the event was just hours away on Sunday.

Fredericksburg’s town square remained relatively empty Sunday afternoon, despite food trucks and port-a-pottys set up, ready for visitors. (Credit: Eric Henrikson/KXAN)

“I didn’t think it’d be empty,” said Dave Frantes, visiting from Minnesota. He came to the area for his third eclipse. Staying in Boerne, he was also surprised by the quiet streets.

“This will be without question the most extraordinary natural phenomenon you will ever see in your lifetime. And I give you a 100% rock solid guarantee of that,” he said.

Extending five hours from the first bite out of the sun to the last, Monday’s eclipse begins in the Pacific and makes landfall at Mazatlan, Mexico, before moving into Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and 12 other U.S. states in the Midwest, Middle Atlantic and New England, and then Canada. Last stop: Newfoundland, with the eclipse ending in the North Atlantic.

It will take just 1 hour, 40 minutes for the moon’s shadow to race more than 4,000 miles across the continent.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.