Yellowstone National Park closed Monday after rainfall and snowmelt caused “record flooding.” Park Superintendent Cam Sholly said the combination had caused “substantial flooding, rockslides and mudslides on roadways.”
According to Yellowstone’s Twitter account, “All entrances to Yellowstone National Park CLOSED temporarily due to heavy flooding, rockslides, extremely hazardous conditions.”
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
One tweet from Yellowstone’s account shared a video taken from a helicopter. It showed the North Entrance Road “through the Gardner Canyon between Gardiner, Montana and Mammoth Hot Springs.” The Yellowstone River moved rapidly and had washed out roads and bridges in several areas.
Officials believe the flooding was caused by a mixture of excessive rainfall and record high temperature, which caused high-elevation snow to melt. Yellowstone received two and a half inches of rain over the weekend, leading the Yellowstone River to crest at 13.88 feet. The previous record had been a crest of 11.5 feet in 1918.
According to the Associated Press, Cory Mottice of the National Weather Service in Billings believes the “flooding that we’ve just never seen before” should recede in the coming days. He said there is no rain in the immediate forecast and that cooler temperatures should slow the snow melt.
The flooding affected areas outside the park as well. One video showed a house falling into the Yellowstone River after its stilts broke. The house could be seen floating down the river. Flooding of the Gardner and Lamar Rivers cut off access to Gardiner, Montana. The town has approximately 900 residents and is near the North Entrance of the park. Park County officials warned residents that the drinking water is unsafe. They also encouraged people to “stay put” overnight.
Officials do not know when the park will reopen. They explained that they will need time for the conditions to stabilize and to assess the damage. Many roads will be closed “for an extended period of time.” The park is also plagued by power outages.
While some people had to be evacuated from rising waters, no injuries have been reported.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Samuel Howell
Video courtesy: ©NBC News
Scott Slayton writes at “One Degree to Another.”
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