Record flooding washes out roads in Yellowstone

At least one bridge in the area has been swept away, according to NPR, and many homes have also been destroyed by the floodwaters. As if destroying bridges, homes and stranding people weren’t bad enough, floodwaters have seeped into water mains, making drinking water unsafe. Those stranded in the community of Gardiner, Montana have neither power nor drinking water.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Indeed, the situation in Yellowstone and the vicinity is dire. Meteorologists working with CNN trace the floodwaters to heavy rain and runoff from melting snow, which caused Yellowstone River to overflow. Emphasis mine:

The Yellowstone River, which runs through the park and several Park County cities, swelled to a record high Monday due to recent heavy rainfall and significant runoff from melting snow in higher elevations, according to CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller.

The Yellowstone River gauge at Corwin Springs, Montana, reached 13.88 feet Monday afternoon, surpassing the historical high crest of 11.5 feet from 1918, NOAA river gauge data shows.

Advertisement

The CNN report goes on to call rainfall levels “dramatic,” which could actually be called an understatement in this case: northwestern Wyoming and southern Montana saw more than 400 percent of its average yearly rainfall in June.

That amount of rain together with the snowmelt from, again, record-breaking high temperatures — “record-breaking” has become the frustrating refrain in cases such as these — in the area produced the conditions that triggered the floodwaters and the subsequent hazardous conditions. To keep informed of any updates, follow along with the National Park Service or Park County, Montana.

Advertisement
Image for article titled Historic Flooding in Yellowstone National Park Washed Out Roads and Bridges
Photo: Larry Mayer (AP)
Image for article titled Historic Flooding in Yellowstone National Park Washed Out Roads and Bridges
Photo: National Park Service
Advertisement
Image for article titled Historic Flooding in Yellowstone National Park Washed Out Roads and Bridges
Photo: Larry Mayer (AP)