European Internet Traffic Fell Up to 46.7% During 2026 Total Solar Eclipse

3 articles · Updated · The Cloudflare Blog · Aug 13

Cloudflare Radar found HTTP traffic across eclipse-affected Europe dropped in near lockstep with maximum solar obscuration on Aug. 12, with the deepest declines in countries along the path of totality.
15% to 30% traffic dips were typical in regions that saw totality or deep partial coverage, while areas with shallow eclipses showed little change and some Nordic markets even posted slight increases.
Iceland, Spain and Portugal recorded the biggest falls, while Denmark saw the smallest overall change and Poland quickly returned to normal levels after maximum eclipse.
5-minute traffic data compared with the median of the previous three Wednesdays showed activity rebounding within minutes, indicating the slowdown reflected people watching the eclipse rather than network disruption.
The eclipse was the first total solar eclipse to cross mainland Europe in 20 years, offering a continent-wide example of how a shared physical event can briefly redirect digital behavior.