All entrances to Yellowstone National Park are closed after massive floods ripped apart bridges, tore roads from the sides of hills, and trapped nearby residents without safe drinking water or any way to evacuate. Park officials on Monday raced to rescue visitors from sections of the park via any means necessary.
The Yellowstone River swelled to record highs over the weekend and on Monday as torrential rains combined with high runoff from melting snow. As of Monday evening, the river was still rising near Livingston, though it was expected to crest overnight. The river reached 13.88 feet at Corwin Springs, Montana, on Monday, two feet higher than the previous record high set in 1913. The National Guard made several rescues, including swift-water rescues.
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
Precipitation in June was 400 percent of normal in parts of Wyoming and Montana.
The park will be closed until at least Wednesday. More rain is in the forecast.
Photo: National Park Service
The impact was not only in Yellowstone, but in many of the communities in the Yellowstone River watershed. Downtown Red Lodge was a river yesterday. Reed Point is making an impromptu dike today. Homes along the Stillwater River are flooded, while campers were evacuated out of campsites by raft. I tried to keep track of the social media posts of the carnage here:
https://twitter.com/TSougstad/status/1536371382375677952?t=DVfl8k5QN8OVAnRndhPsTQ&s=19
This is a major disaster. Given the lack of funding for our National Parks, I wonder how long it will be before Yellowstone is open again?