After ‘record’ levels of rain triggered flooding, power outages, rockslides, and mudslides, all entrances to Yellowstone National Park were closed to tourists on Monday.
Due to the rain, a bridge at Rescue Creek in the park was damaged, and a number of roads were washed out as a result of deadly mudslides produced by the severe weather.
‘Effective immediately, all entrances to Yellowstone National Park are temporarily CLOSED due to significant floods, rockslides, and mudslides on roadways caused by recent extraordinary quantities of rainfall and flooding,’ the park stated in a statement.
‘With extra rainfall anticipated, the park does not want huge numbers of day-use people stuck in the park,’ the statement continued.
The National Park Service noted in a separate statement that the flooding is “above record levels.”
Yellowstone National Park is mostly in Wyoming, but it also extends into Montana and Idaho. It is arguably best known for its geysers, the most renowned of which being Old Faithful.
The park had nearly 780,000 visitors in June 2019, the penultimate year before the Covid-19 epidemic.
According to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, a water gauge on the Lamar River in the northern section of Yellowstone is reading the water at 16.7 feet, which is 4.5 feet higher than the highest previously recorded level.
At the very least, the park will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. Visitors will not be granted access until ‘conditions stabilize and the park can assess damage to roads, bridges, and other structures,’ according to a statement from Yellowstone.
The National Weather Service predicts sporadic snow showers and rain in Yellowstone on Tuesday, with a total snow accumulation of half an inch and thunderstorms possible. The outlook for Wednesday is’mostly sunny’ with a high of 65 degrees Fahrenheit. The peak temperature is forecast to be around 90 degrees Fahrenheit by Friday.
From Saturday to Monday, more rain and thunderstorms are expected.
Around 56 employees at the Stillwater Mine in Nye, Montana, north of Yellowstone, were unable to escape owing to floods in the Stillwater River, which caused a sinkhole.
According to KTVQ, the crew is safe and is even giving shelter for several campers who were stuck due to the water.
‘The river has never been this high before my house,’ said Elizabeth Aluck, a resident of Gardiner, Montana, which is at the park’s north end. Aluck went on to claim that due to the flood levels on the roadways, she was unable to flee.
The town of Gardiner, according to Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly, is “isolated.” According to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Sholly continued, “We are working with the county and the state of Montana to give critical help to residents who are currently without water and power in some regions.”
Yellowstone officials issued their first warning early Monday morning, and it only pertained to the park’s northern gate. According to the National Water Service, 0.75 to 1.75 inches of rain had fallen in the area by 10:45 a.m.
It was later extended through all entrances later in the day.
On Monday morning, visitors in the park’s northern section were evacuated.
‘This water is traveling very rapidly, is very cold, has substantial amounts of debris, and is exceedingly dangerous,’ officials in Gallatin County, which is located northwest of the park, said in a statement. Please don’t go near the water!’
Rain raining on snow in the park caused ‘exceptional run off and flooding,’ according to the Park County Sheriff’s Office.
A flood warning will be in effect until Wednesday in Fremont County, Idaho, 25 miles west of Yellowstone’s northern entrance.
‘This is the worst overflowing we’ve had,’ Fremont County Emergency Management Coordinator Keith Richey told East Idaho News. This happens every couple of years, but this is the worst one yet. For people who are suffering floods in the region, Fremont County has set up sand and sandbags at the Shotgun Bar.’
Those considering a trip to Yellowstone in the coming weeks should keep an eye on road conditions.