Burning Man storms force temporary ban on driving

UPDATE Sept. 1 6:43 p.m. Driving is not permitted in Black Rock City as weather threatens to turn the desert floor into paste, according to an update posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Later updates also recommend that attendees “hunker down” in their camps, and secure any structures and belongings.

More wet weather was in the forecast for Burning Man on Friday, a complicating factor as crowds began to arrive at the festival for the final weekend.

Scott McGuire, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Reno office, said about one- to two-tenths of an inch of rain is expected. That may not seem like much, but McGuire said as little as one-hundredth of an inch of rain can cause problems in the typically bone-dry Black Rock Desert. 

“It’s just very slippery. And you can’t drive and it’s hard to maneuver through there and stuff like that. [The ground] just turns to like a paste, basically. So yeah, certainly not ideal,” McGuire said.

Friday and Sunday are expected to be the wettest days of the festival. But with little chance for absorption, conditions could deteriorate throughout the weekend.

“Meteorologically wise, it will not dry out nearly as rapidly as it typically would,” McGuire said.

Burning Man officials are urging caution no matter how much rain ends up materializing.

“In the case of rain, do not drive your vehicle or ride your bike. Remain where you are. Batten down your camp. Cover or secure anything electrical. Check on your campmates and neighbors to make sure they’re prepared, and help out as needed,” wrote Burning Man Traffic, a trusted source for festival logistics, on X (formerly known as Twitter).

While rain could make the playa unpleasant, McGuire said flash flooding is unlikely. Burning Man organizers had to close the festival gates a few weeks ago after the remnants of Tropical Storm Hilary caused major flooding in the Black Rock Desert.

The weather system is also forecast to bring surprisingly cool temperatures to the playa. McGuire estimated festival highs could be as much as 30 degrees cooler than last year. Weekend highs are expected to be in the 70s, with lows dipping as far as the high 40s — a far cry from the 100-plus-degree days that Burners endured in 2022.