The eclipse may not be the only thing sky high on Monday. Some parking rates could soar

Advance reservations in some downtown parking lots start at $47 and climb past $100. But if you go after 11 a.m. Monday, and can find a spot, it may not cost more than $25.

Rates could vary. If the last NCAA basketball tournament games in March 2017 at KeyBank Center are a guide, those who want to watch the eclipse along Lake Erie and the Buffalo River and arrive downtown in the hours before the once-in-a-lifetime experience may need to fork over $20 to $50, or maybe more.

Social media posts from across the country also reflect parking rates as high as $50 for businesses and others trying to capitalize on eclipse excitement.

“The whole topic of reservations is something we’ve been monitoring very closely,” said Patrick Phillips, market president of Buffalo for Premium Parking, which operates about two dozen lots in downtown Buffalo.

The high advance reservation with eclipse pricing is to make sure regular customers who pay weekly or monthly for parking will have a spot on Monday morning, said Richard Serra, Premium vice president.

“We have no idea what to expect,” Serra said. “Are (people) going to stay at home and watch the eclipse from their home and not come to work? We don’t know, so we need to protect our customer base.”

Those familiar with hotel volume and other large regional events predict hundreds of thousands of visitors will arrive this weekend and Monday morning in advance of the eclipse because Buffalo sits in the path of totality, making the region prime viewing real estate.