What’s happening
Record rains have swollen rivers in the oldest national park, washing out bridges and roads.
Why it matters
All access to the park has been closed, nearby communities have been cut off and visitors within the park are being moved or evacuated.
All of Yellowstone National Park’s entrances and roads remain closed Wednesday morning due to intense flooding, rockslides and high waters washing out entire sections of roads.
The northern part of the park may not open again for a “substantial length of time,” park officials tweeted Tuesday evening.
⚠️UPDATE (6/14 @ 6:38pm)⚠️
Northern portion of Yellowstone likely to remain closed for substantial length of time due to severely damaged, impacted infrastructure. Visitors traveling to park soon must stay informed about current situation, roads & weather https://t.co/mymnqGvcVB pic.twitter.com/li6Vwy4qLt— Yellowstone National Park (@YellowstoneNPS) June 15, 2022
Videos captured via helicopter on Monday showed raging waters in Gardner Canyon claiming sections of the road that runs into the park from its north entrance near Gardiner, Mont.
Current conditions of Yellowstone’s North Entrance Road through the Gardner Canyon between Gardiner, Montana, and Mammoth Hot Springs.
We will continue to communicate about this hazardous situation as more information is available. More info: https://t.co/mymnqGvcVB pic.twitter.com/S5ysi4wf8a
— Yellowstone National Park (@YellowstoneNPS) June 13, 2022
Dramatic photos and video shared on social media also capture multiple bridges inside the park being ripped from their pilings and foundations by the torrents.
Severe flooding due to unprecedented heavy rain on snow is forcing the closure and evacuation of Yellowstone National Park.
Mudslides, rockslides and flooding are wiping out roads and bridges across the region.
Note: graphic language pic.twitter.com/B23oHwdyrD
— US StormWatch (@US_Stormwatch) June 13, 2022
Record amounts of rainfall up to 4 inches fell on nearby mountains over the weekend, melting snowpack that further contributed to the downstream destruction.
The intense flooding and infrastructure damage hit right at the start of the summer tourism season. Yellowstone, one of the most popular nationals parks, attracts millions of visitors each year. The park, which is mostly in Wyoming, is a natural wonder, filled with geysers, hot springs, mudpots and other amazing geothermal features. Its most famous geyser is known as “Old Faithful.”
On Monday, park officials announced that inbound visitor traffic would be closed for Tuesday and Wednesday “at a minimum.”
“Due to record flooding events in the park and more precipitation in the forecast, we have made the decision to close Yellowstone to all inbound visitation,” park superintendent Cam Sholly said in a statement. “Our first priority has been to evacuate the northern section of the park where we have multiple road and bridge failures, mudslides and other issues. The community of Gardiner is currently isolated, and we are working with the county and State of Montana to provide necessary support to residents, who are currently without water and power in some areas.”
Sholly added that visitors in the park’s southern loop were also being moved due to concerns with flooding, water and wastewater systems.
We just measured streamflow in Clarks Fork Yellowstone River nr Belfry at 23,300 cfs. Flow may still go higher, but that measurement is more than 1.5 times the previous peak flow at a site with 100 years of record. Real-time data at: https://t.co/diuquWs0ML pic.twitter.com/sb8r3RyP0r
— USGS in Montana (@USGS_MT) June 13, 2022
Video shows the moment a home in Gardiner, Montana collapsed into the Yellowstone River as heavy rain and rapidly melting snowpack unleash historic flooding across the region. #Yellowstone pic.twitter.com/9XiL1w5KJY
— The Weather Network (@weathernetwork) June 14, 2022
It’s too early to assess the contribution of climate change to this particular weather event, but scientists have consistently documented that such extreme precipitation events would be far less likely to happen without the impact humans are having on the climate.
National Weather Service data shows that a water gauge on the Lamar River in the park reached a record height of almost 17 feet on Monday — the previous record at that location was just over 12 feet. Water levels dropped on Tuesday, but Sholly said the park remains on high alert.
“We will not know timing of the park’s reopening until flood waters subside and we’re able to assess the damage throughout the park,” Sholly said.
