Yellowstone National Park

HELENA, Mont. — Major flooding swept away at least one bridge, washed away roads and set off mudslides in Yellowstone National Park on Monday, ...

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Officials have sealed off Yellowstone National Park with more rain expected to exacerbate road and bridge damage.

Rainfall measurements from the park indicate 2 to 3 inches fell over the past three days. “We know that the park is definitely closed for the next two days,” Wiese said. Known as an “atmospheric river,” the storm system produced record rainfall in parts of Washington and Oregon, including Seattle late last week. Early assessments show roads throughout the park have been washed out or covered in mud and rocks. Later Monday, they’ll begin to move visitors in the park’s southern section. We will continue to communicate about this hazardous situation as more information is available.

The entire park, spanning parts of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, will remain closed to visitors as officials assess damage to roads and bridges.

The flooding and slides were triggered by days of torrential showers in the park and steady rains across much of the wider region after one of its wettest springs in many years. All five park entrances were closed to inbound traffic for the first summer since a series of devastating wildfires in 1988. The “gateway” community of Gardiner, Montana, just north of the park’s northern boundary and home to many Yellowstone staff members, has been cut off due to a mudslide in the vicinity, according to the National Park Service.

Record flooding and rockslides following a burst of heavy rains prompted the rare closure on Monday of Yellowstone National Park.

The park service characterized the rainfall and floods sweeping the park as unprecedented, with the Yellowstone River topping its banks beyond record levels. All five park entrances were closed to inbound traffic for the first summer since a series of devastating wildfires in 1988. Article content

All entrances to Yellowstone National Park remained closed Tuesday amid historic flooding and dangerous rockslides.

The county said water and air rescues were underway amid evacuations Monday. "Some have lost their houses; others can’t go to work," Gardiner said. King, the EMT in Gardiner, said the flooding was "damaging for a lot of people." "Extensive flooding throughout Park County has washed out bridges, roads, and left communities and homes isolated," Park County said in a statement. "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," Yellowstone officials said Monday. The park has seen multiple road and bridge failures, power outages and mudslides, causing evacuations starting in the northern part of the park.