Visitors arriving in Nevada’s desert for this year’s Burning Man festival have so far encountered heavy winds and dust storms, and could be in for thunderstorms as well, with the harsh conditions possibly persisting for several days.
The famous gathering began Sunday in the Black Rock Desert, roughly 100 miles (160km) north of Reno. Strong winds and dust storms disrupted the event over the weekend, temporarily pausing activities, tearing through tents and reducing visibility to nearly nothing.
It was confirmed that at least one major art installation was destroyed in the storm: an 8-ton inflatable thundercloud known as “Black Cloud” reportedly held together for 15 minutes before being ripped apart by winds. The piece, created by a Ukrainian-led team, was meant to symbolize the “specter of world war”.
By Monday, organizers confirmed that both the festival gates and the Black Rock City airport had reopened, allowing the event to resume as scheduled.
“There are some of the structures that are blown over,” Austin Matthew, an art creator at Burning Man, told Fox Weather. “Things had broken. And even just driving to our camp spot, there were all camps that were pretty much wiped out. Things were just laying on their side, completely annihilated at that point.”
Matthew had arrived on Sunday after the wind damage on Saturday. He also described experiencing delays due to closed gates and rain affecting entry.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that a powerful dust storm struck the desert on Saturday evening, damaging camps, delaying travel and leaving at least four people with minor injuries.
On Monday night, a social media account that monitors travel conditions to the festival grounds posted that “clouds continue to form around Black Rock City, and these will probably lead to another weather event this evening … It may or may not hit us, but we should prepare as if it will.”
The post added: “This weather will affect driving on playa and gate wait times. Please tell your campmates and neighbors so we can all be prepared.”
Additional thunderstorms have a high probability of hitting Black Rock City between Tuesday and Wednesday, according to AccuWeather. The National Weather Service also warned of a “monsoonal moisture” that could spark “minor flooding” through Nevada until Thursday.
Organizers estimate that about 80,000 people attend Burning Man annually. Despite the dust storms, harsh winds, thunderstorms and numerous delays, more than 40,000 people were in attendance by Monday morning, according to the Reno Gazette Journal.
Clips on social media posted over the weekend showed participants struggling against wind gusts, with the thick dust obscuring camera views.
The weather system could bring scattered hail and more dust, but rainfall and added moisture might also ease conditions. Drier weather is expected to arrive Thursday, providing some relief until the event concludes next Monday.
Last year, downpours turned the desert roads to mud, creating gridlock that stretched into a seven-hour drive over the 5-mile (8km) exit route. Despite the summer festivities, such weather is considered typical of the Black Rock Desert during monsoon season.
Meanwhile, the Burning Man Project website launched a livestream of the festival on Tuesday following some technical delays caused by the dust storms and lightning.
