Yellowstone National Park is temporarily closed after recent floods and rockslides damaged the park. They have caused evacuations of citizens along with bridges, roads, and houses being wiped out entirely. The flooding has also caused power outages, water shortages, and potentially a food shortage in the area. At this time, there is no exact date as to when Yellowstone National Park will reopen to the public.
The reasons for Yellowstone’s flooding is the record rainfall and melting snow packs from the northern side. It was reported recently that the water level of the Yellowstone River was 14 feet high. This is a new record for the river as the old record was 11.5 feet high. The record rainfall level for June 12, 2022 was 1.37 inches. The previous record for rainfall in a day was a little under a half inch.
The town of Gardiner, Mont. has been completely landlocked due to flooding. The area is suffering from no running water and no electricity. Citizens throughout the town have also seen houses, pieces of road, and other debris flowing through the Yellowstone River. The Montana State Officials have led evacuations for citizens in Gardiner and the surrounding areas suffering from this flood damage. The only way for them to evacuate the citizens is through air and water rafts in certain situations.