Burning Man access is closed as heavy rains muddy the playa

No one can go in or out of Burning Man after heavy rainfall on Friday turned the desert ground of the playa into impassible, sticky mud, prompting the Pageant’s organizers late final night time to ask as many as 70,000 attendees to shelter in place (through SFGate). Organizers reposted a similar message to the Burning Man Visitors account on X (previously Twitter) round 12PM ET at this time.

An estimated 6 inches of rain soaked the pageant Friday, in accordance with The Related Press, citing the Nationwide Climate Service in Reno, and one other quarter of a foot of rain may fall this night into Sunday.

The Bureau of Land Administration launched an announcement on Saturday saying pageant officers and the Pershing County Sheriff’s Workplace “have closed ingress to the Burning Man occasion efficient instantly and for the rest of the occasion,” as quoted within the Reno Gazette Journal, and the bureau added that “extra rain is predicted over the subsequent few days,” saying circumstances weren’t anticipated to enhance sufficient to permit for driving on the playa.

Journalist Scott Budman, who experiences for NBC within the San Francisco Bay Space, posted a video filmed by Josh Keppel at Burning Man, exhibiting the still-wet and muddy grounds and folks strolling via it:

Consumer Ivoryringlord posted at 1PM PT, exhibiting extra cloud cowl and discussing the circumstances. He famous that it was starting to rain once more: