Burning Man attendees have been directed to conserve water, food, and fuel after rains turned the playa into a mud pit on Friday night.
Anyone who has attended Burning Man or has seen the photos and videos that have surfaced over the years knows that this experience in Northern Nevada is defined by its dry, dusty conditions and hot temperatures. This year was shaping up to be no different, but Mother Nature had other plans for those heading to the playa. Before Burning Man officially kicked off, the remnants of Hurricane Hilary flooded the dried-up lakebed, causing entrance delays for many who were set to build camps, art installations, and more. But the weather has reared its head again yesterday with heavy rains, leading to attendees being told to shelter-in-place.
Reports of oncoming rain began to surface yesterday morning via Burning Man Traffic, which informs those heading to the playa about road conditions and gate delays. That swelled into a 60% chance of rain, with showers and thunderstorms likely, and soon after, total precipitation had reached a quarter inch. This led to Gate Road being closed to all traffic, and attendees were directed not to drive their bikes or vehicles, to secure their camps, and to hunker down until the all-clear was given.
Photos and videos of the current situation at Burning Man began to surface on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter with attendees showing the slippery, paste-like mud throughout the playa and detailing their experience. According to the Reno Gazette Journal, the number of attendees currently at this year’s edition is reported to be 73,000, all of whom will be stuck until further notice as the Bureau of Land Management and the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office have officially shut down the festival. Access to Black Rock City has closed as of 12pm PT today.
Rain over the last 24 hours has created a situation that required a full stop of vehicle movement on the playa. More rain is expected over the next few days and conditions are not expected to improve enough to allow vehicles to enter the playa.
Bureau of Land Management
As for the conditions that lie ahead, AccuWeather is currently predicting a high chance of rain for Black Rock City throughout the rest of today, with potential thunderstorms. Sunday isn’t shaping up to be much better, with an 88% chance of rain and 35% chance of thunderstorms throughout the day. The event is officially set to end on Monday.
Stay tuned for more updates, as this is a developing story.
