Officials close inbound traffic into Yellowstone National Park

[2naSalit]

Source: Q2-Billings, MT

Some park visitors evacuated


By: MTN News
Posted at 9:53 AM, Jun 13, 2022
and last updated 1:25 PM, Jun 13, 2022

UPDATE 1:25 p.m.

Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly released this statement:

“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. 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. Due to predictions of higher flood levels in areas of the park’s southern loop, in addition to concerns with water and wastewater systems, we will begin to move visitors in the southern loop out of the park later today in coordination with our in-park business partners. 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. It is likely that the northern loop will be closed for a substantial amount of time. I appreciate the efforts of the Yellowstone team and partners to safely evacuate areas of the park and of our gateway community partners who are helping us through this major event. We appreciate the support offered by the Department of Interior, National Park Service and the Montana and Wyoming governors."



Read more: https://www.ktvq.com/news/montana-news/flooding-rockslides-hazardous-conditions-force-yellowstone-national-park-road-closures

---

Previous updates at link.

Still raining, I have never seen the rivers this high since I moved to the area in the early 2000s. I went to see how high it was 60 miles down river from the park and there are some bridges out upriver already with a couple communities cut off. While I was looking at a fully flooded side channel with about forty others, we saw three full sized, root and all, cottonwood trees float by and do a big spin as they went under the bride crossing the channel. Some said a surge is coming so the bridge may be in danger, it was washed out in 1996 I'm told.

Thankful I live up on a hill. Grabbed a few extra groceries just in case.

[HUAJIAO]

1. The Corporate world is destroying the world.

[2naSalit]

3. They are.

And making it very difficult for us to live without them.

When this ecosystem crashes, I'm guessing within the next four years, the whole western US is screwn when it comes to water. We won't have any either and we'll be busy burning down so if you haven't already come to see the park, it's just about too late.

[Ptah]

2. Yikes!

[ancianita]

4. Wish they'd build pumping stations near the flood waters to pipeline it to the Great Salt Lake.

Or Salt Lake City itself.

[2naSalit]

6. It ends up in the Missourri R.

The other side of the divide water goes to the SW already. SLC needs to get its head out of its ass.

EDIT Correction; the water on the west side on the divide goes into the Columbia River. I had too many rivers in mind all at once.

[ancianita]

7. I see. Thanks.

I hear you on SLC.

[2naSalit]

9. Mistake...

I was thinking of the Colorado R. The western watershed from the greater Yellowstone ecosystem goes into the Columbia R.

[not fooled]

10. I'm in an area rife with maggots and/or LDS

Neither group believes global heating and drought are caused by human activity. Barely any of these people even think the climate's changing; those that do have been told by their church that it's not from burning fossil fuels. I've had LDS tell me that yeah, climate's changing but it's not manmade.

Moving later this year; can't wait to get out of this wasteland.

[ancianita]

11. Thanks.

In general, I'm not a fan of allowing fellow Americans to die over climate catastrophes.
We've got enough of that on the Republican side.

I'd like, in general, for us to build a nationwide water distribution system that helps people's health and welfare.

If we ignore life & liberty of people who are our political opponents, we're no better than they and we'll all end up migrating toward the Arctic Circle.

Human inertia takes religious forms, too. I do get that. And it is, indeed, frustrating.
But as an atheist, I'd still quote Jesus: "Father, forgive them. They know not what they do."

[Rebl2]

5. Did they

have late spring snow along with the Dakota’s? I thought I heard on national weather yesterday there was going to be mountain snow yesterday.

[2naSalit]

8. Above 8000ft a week ago...

It's been warm and raining for weeks, at first it was snow at 7000ft and it stuck around for a couple weeks but it's mostly all gone now in a matter of days. There's still some in the really high back country but it will be gone by July 1.

This is the normal time for runoff, just not so fast. Unless it continues to rain throughout the summer, we'll be on fire in three to four weeks. Looks like this rain ends tomorrow and then the heat dome moves in, ugh.

[BumRushDaShow]

12. Wow.

Last edited Tue Jun 14, 2022, 06:42 AM - Edit history (1)

I know the jetstream was configured to allow a "atmospheric river" of precipitation to move into the PNW but I see the jetstream has dipped enough to funnel that right into CA and then back up into the west central states.





(ETA to add the "static" conditions image as the original one is continually updated)

Be safe!

[2naSalit]

14. Thanks for the graphics!

[BumRushDaShow]

16. You're welcome!

Hobby!

[burrowowl]

15. Fascinating!

[BumRushDaShow]

17. Yeah this time or year, there is a normal change in the jetstream

that heralds the beginning of the "dry season" out west and I guess this year, it was skewed a bit too much to the point where that part of the west not only got into that Pacific ocean flow, but also ended up partially under the heat from a ridge over the midwest, so all the beneficial snow up in the mountains, went through a sudden melt, and that ended up adding more water outflow to the area.

They were still having snow out that way in the Northern Plains in late April, with back-to-back blizzards and the hope is always to have a gradual melt, but that was not to be when the heat dome set up.

[burrowowl]

13. Wow! Here in NM we could use some rain.

[C Moon]

18. We had rain in Los Angeles (near San Pedro...the port) this morning.

It was actually more like a very hard drizzle—but it got me and my dog drenched, and required windshield wipers when driving.

[MissB]

19. The images of the road out of Gardiner into Yellowstone

are amazing. It’s just….gone, in many sections.

I feel bad for the town of Gardiner. I’m sure they rely heavily on the traffic into and out of that Yellowstone entrance, and I’m sure there are quite a few residents that work in Yellowstone.

It’ll be years.

There was also a bridge on the Yellowstone river that was swept away today.

[2naSalit]

25. Gardiner is totally cut off to the north as well...

Yankee Jim is flooded out and the Carbella bridge - access to Tom Miner basin - is gone but the truck route should be open but the bridge on US89 is probably sketchy too.

[BrightKnight]

26. FEMA? The economic impact of the Park closure is going to be high.

That is especially true with washed it and flooded infrastructure out side the park as well. It looks like a lot of bridges are gone.

IDK, some of the areas could probably use. FEMA.

[Ptah]

20. Road washed out at Yellowstone National Park's north entrance Youtube from helicopter

&ab_channel=9NEWS

[SergeStorms]

21. Jeebus!

There's no quick fix for that road and the bridges that are washed out. The mountain tongue is gone, washed out.

It'll be years before they can construct a new road, because there's no repairing that one.

[2naSalit]

22. That's the north entrance road, really steep.

Lots of helicopters around today.

That's a bad washout and it will take a while to fix. I've driven that road many times in all kinds of vehicles and it's no picnic. Guess they'll have a chance to redesign it now.

The bridge over the river, about six miles up, is due for replacement this year, maybe this will help cut down on traffic.

Also, There's another washout north of Gardiner so they are isolated from the rest of the county and the park. Same for Cooke City and a couple places downriver. I know of several bridges over the river that are being watched closely right now.

Flood warnings in effect until noon Wed.

[BrightKnight]

23. There is no quick fix for that much damage.

There is no way that road will be replaced this season. I would be surprised if it is open next year.

[2naSalit]

24. Probably not.

So much for boiling river this year... and it's probably washed out too. That video starts right about at the Boiling River access area and parking. They just reworked that whole thing.

[Bayard]

27. Wish some of that would head down to New Mexico

Stay safe people.

[2naSalit]

28. It's getting worse...

The rain is easing up but the incoming heat will melt what's left of the snow pack in the back country. I heard the hospital in Livingston has been evacuated overnight. It's 1/2 a mile from the normal riverbed but in the flood plane. Also all of the lower level areas of town, several blocks of housing, all the schools and the fairgrounds are all along the river in the flood plane in that town so they have some issues.

Just heard a PSA that warns Gardiner not to use the tap water, even if boiled. That town, right outside YNP's north gate, is cut off from everywhere right now too. A lot of the utility and infrastructure support for the park is upriver to Gardiner proper and along the river so anything oozing out of those facilities and much of the town's, it's a mess. Two blocks of the town burned to the ground last year too so Gardiner is having issues.

Parts of US 89 are washed out between Gardiner and Livingston so there are a lot of people trapped for the time being. There are about six communities that are isolated this morning.

It's a mess, an influx of impatient tourists is going to make this summer interesting in a not so good way.

[mcar]

29. We were there in September

and everything was bone dry. The lakes and ponds were critically low.

The area needs the rain but certainly not like this. Be safe.

[2naSalit]

32. Lots of trophy homes in danger.

It's going to be an odd summer with so much roadway damage in the park. They may have to truncate a lot of the season.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

30. Heavy rains ravaged Yellowstone National Park and forced visitors to evacuate just as ...

Heavy rains ravaged Yellowstone National Park and forced visitors to evacuate just as the summer tourism season was underway #WSJWhatsNow https://on.wsj.com/3MO8rKm

Link to tweet

[2naSalit]

31. Thanks for the video!

I have to go to Livingston this morning, no river crossings, and will try and get a look at whether the bridges are still there. The hospital was evacuated overnight.

[Stuckinthebush]

33. This is horrendous!

All entrances closed - imagine the economic impact as well.

The Paradise Valley area is gorgeous but the only way in and out of the North Entrance. I wonder how it looks up the Highway (89 I think?). Emigrant is between Livingston and Gardiner. It could be flooded as well. Just terrible.

[2naSalit]

34. I just got back from Pradise Valley.

I took a drive today, I plan to post some pictures later, as far down the valley as I could go until the road closure and then took the Tom Miner detour so I could go look at where the bridge used to be at Carbella. I saw some fragments of it and I think a part of it made it the bridge (US89) about a mile downriver at point of rocks and got hung up for a while which eroded the embankment back causing the road to collapse at the north end of the bridge. So there's a big gap between the land and the intact part of the bridge. I had to get up high to see it.

The river is receding for now but it may flood again in a few days when it gets hot.

Yankee Jim Canyon has been cleaned up enough for tourists to evacuate from Gardiner but they have to brave E. River Rd where it get dicey in some spots.

The rest area got swirled, the whole place is coated with timber and lumber from the Gardiner house and probably pieces of a couple others, all around all the picnic tables. The river actually crossed US89 there and for about a half mile beyond, detritus in all the fences and the fields on both sides of the road are lakes.

Closer to town, South Livingston US89 under construction in the narrows is all wet, the construction crews made a 3' berm to block the river from flowing through the construction, the yard on that side of the road had a current passing through and the roadbed was becoming saturated, a couple thousand feet from the river. And the Carter's Bridge fishing access is completely submerged.

It's a mess, up on the hill where I live, there are lots of RVs up and down the neighborhood housing flood refugees.

Glad I have a warm and dry home to relax in. The biggest issue here is that the city water could become contaminated because the place is right next to the river.

[Stuckinthebush]

35. Thank you for the update

I imagine that the whole valley from Livingston to Gardiner has a long road ahead for clean up and repair. I am so sad about it. I changed my reservations today for Big Sky instead of my annual trip to PV in a couple of weeks. Big Sky is great but it’s not Paradise. But The Valley needs a rest from tourism for a minute I’d imagine.

[2naSalit]

36. A lot of people will need to change their plans...

Gardiner will be hit particularly hard and the flooding is not over yet. The river was down about fifteen to twenty feet from the surge, which was phenomenal, yesterday but there is still the threat of more flooding when this heat of today and tomorrow bring down the rest of the snowpack and more rain this weekend, we could have deja vu all over again.

I've spoken with several locals from up and down the valley and they are of mixed emotions, sad for the damages but glad that the park and surrounding areas will get a break from the tourists. Only the greedy are mad about it.