Heavy Rain Leaves Burning Man Stuck in Mud
Organizers closed the gates and encouraged tens of thousands of participants to shelter in place following a storm
BLACK ROCK CITY, Nev.—An overnight storm dropped nearly an inch of rain on the arid desert where Burning Man is taking place, covering the typically dusty playa in a thick layer of mud and prompting organizers to close the gates to traffic and order tens of thousands of participants to shelter in place.
By Saturday afternoon, following hours of steady overnight rain, mud was blanketing roads and campsites. Organizers banned participants from driving cars or riding bicycles, and encouraged people to conserve food, water and fuel.
Many attendees were covered in mud, which caked their boots and made traversing the massive temporary city difficult. The overnight rain flooded tents, causing some participants to scramble to find new accommodations.
For now, attendees had little choice but to wait. The gates were closed to all vehicles, except emergency services, to prevent a rush of traffic from getting stuck in the mud. Weather forecasts predicted that more rain could drench the desert early Sunday morning, potentially worsening conditions.
The atmosphere at the event remained festive on Saturday night as the clouds cleared. But some attendees were worried about reports of more rain amid widespread concerns that outdoor toilets could overflow and another storm could cause further flooding.
Trapped in the desert for the foreseeable future, several attendees said they were struggling to find cell phone service or an internet connection to change their flights home. Some said they feared they could be stuck for days.
Burning Man veteran Eddie Codel, who has been attending the festival since 1997, said conditions are “very slip-and-fall” muddy, but it hasn’t dampened spirits too much.
“Most people are in a positive mood. There is plenty of food and water to go around,” said the California-based videographer, who has been sleeping in a Shiftpod tent.
It was unclear whether organizers would hold Burning Man’s signature event: the burning of a massive effigy of a man. It had been scheduled for Saturday night.
Each year, 80,000 or more people trek to the Black Rock Desert 90 miles north of Reno for a nine-day event that features music, art installations and all-night partying.
Burning Man was founded on principles of self-reliance, self-expression and decommodification. Money largely isn’t exchanged during the event, and organizers rely on participants to build and deconstruct the city each year in an effort to leave no lasting effect on the ecologically sensitive area.
Difficult weather conditions are a hallmark of Burning Man. Dust storms regularly whip through the city, causing temporary whiteout conditions, and temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit are a common occurrence. But heavy rain is rare, veterans of the event said.
“At Burning Man, people are really good at turning very inhospitable conditions into a party,” said Amy Edwards, 32, of Oakland, Calif., who is attending her fourth Burning Man.
The Burning Man grounds received an estimated 0.6 to 0.8 inch of rain overnight, according to organizers. Another quarter inch of rain could be dropped on the area in the coming day. While that amount of precipitation wouldn’t have a devastating effect on other regions of the country, dry desert areas are less capable of absorbing rain, making flooding more of a risk.