The Yellowstone River rose to a record height of 13.88 feet (4.23 m). The previous record was set in 1918 when it rose to a height of 11.5 feet (3.5 m). Flooding on the Lamar River has reached 16.7 feet (5.1 m), beating a 1996 record of 12.15 feet (3.7 m).

 

All five park entrances remain closed temporarily, however, West, South, and East entrances are targeted for reopening as early as next week.

 

Water levels that were high have gone down substantially over the past 24 hours, but additional flood events are possible through this weekend.

 

According to Superintendent Cam Sholly “We have made tremendous progress in a very short amount of time but have a long way to go. All emergency and life safety objectives within the park have been accomplished or stabilized within the first 96 hours of the flood event, without major injury or death. We have an aggressive plan for recovery in the north and resumption of operations in the south. We appreciate the tremendous support from the National Park Service and Department of the Interior leadership, in addition to our surrounding Congressional delegations, governors, counties, communities, and other partners. These first 96 hours have been critical to be able to focus on our life safety objectives and stabilizing emergency conditions while preparing plans for recovery.”

 

Historic rain and the rapid melting of snow in recent days have caused rivers in parts of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho to break their banks, destroying bridges and washing away roadways. Over 10,000 visitors to Yellowstone National Park have been asked to evacuate.

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According to a US Geological Survey (USGS) news release, this constitutes a 1 in 500-year event. Streamflow data have been collected for around 100 years at three USGS streamgages on the Yellowstone River in southern Montana and can be used to provide a probability of events occurring.  

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“At two stream gages, Yellowstone River at Corwin Springs and Yellowstone River at Livingston, the peak streamflow was higher than the 0.2% (or 1 in 500) flood during the recent flood event,” said Katherine Chase, USGS hydrologist. “While these floods are often referred to as greater than (or rarer than) a 1 in 500-year event, there is the same probability that they could occur in any given year.” 

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The provisional streamflow recorded on the Yellowstone River at Billings was between the 1% (or 1 in 100) and 0.2% (1 in 500) flood.

 

According to the National Weather, Yellowstone National Park has received about two to three times the typical rainfall in just a 3 day period, that they receive for the whole month of June, and precipitation this month has already been more than 400% of the average across northwestern Wyoming and southern Montana.

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In terms of Volcanism, the Yellowstone Caldera is the largest volcanic system in North America, and worldwide it is only rivaled by the Lake Toba Caldera on Sumatra. It has been termed a ‘Supervolcano’ because the caldera was formed by exceptionally large explosive eruptions. The magma chamber that lies under Yellowstone is estimated to be a single connected chamber, about 37 miles (60 km) long, 18 miles (29 km) wide, and 3 to 7 miles (5 to 12 km) deep.

 

Earthquakes

Yellowstone experiences thousands of small earthquakes every year, most of which are not felt by people. There have been six earthquakes with at least a magnitude 6 or greater in historical times, including the 7.2‑magnitude Hebgen Lake earthquake which occurred in 1959. A 6.1‑magnitude earthquake struck on June 30, 1975 with minimal damage.

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For three months in 1985, 3,000 minor earthquakes were detected. Beginning on April 30, 2007, 16 small earthquakes with magnitudes up to 2.7 occurred for several days. These swarms of earthquakes are common, and there have been 70 such swarms between 1983 and 2008. In December 2008, over 250 earthquakes were measured over a four-day span. In January 2010, more than 250 earthquakes were detected over a two-day period. On March 30, 2014, a magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck almost the very middle of Yellowstone near the Norris Basin. No damage was reported. This was the largest earthquake to hit the park since February 22, 1980.

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Forest fires

On average, about thirty-five natural forest fires are ignited each year by lightning, while another six to ten are started by people—mostly by accident. 

 

It is a popular belief that the river was named for the yellow rocks seen in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

 

Tourism is what these places rely on for existence and unfortunately, too much of it coupled with climate change is destroying them.

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