Park officials warn of rockfall, mudslides and “extremely dangerous conditions” in the park. Roads and bridges were swept away, and electricity was cut off in many places.
In any case, the park will remain closed until Wednesday, according to the authorities. Evacuations are being organized for visitors and workers who were already in the park when the storm started. There are no reports of injuries yet.
The water in the Yellowstone River near Corwin Springs reached a depth of 4.2 meters on Monday, beating the old record of 3.5 meters from 1918.
The area deals with an unprecedented wet spring. Temperatures have also risen dramatically in recent days, causing snow on the highest peaks in the park to melt faster than expected. The National Weather Service reported that water in the Yellowstone River near Corwin Springs reached a depth of 4.2 meters on Monday, surpassing the old record of 3.5 meters set in 1918.
The busy summer season had just begun. Yellowstone receives about four million visitors each year. Park ranger Cam Chuli said in a statement that the park’s possibility of reopening after Wednesday would depend on the damage it sustained. “We can’t say anything about that until the water recedes and we’ve been able to assess the damage throughout the park,” Scholey said.
