<\/p>\n
Members of\u00a0Camp Reverbia work amid a dust storm that hit the Black Rock Desert on the eve of Burning Man. Winds reached 50 mph Saturday.<\/p>\n
Courtesy of Angie Peacock<\/p>\n
A ferocious dust storm engulfed the Burning Man, toppling tents, overturning vehicles and destroying art installations Saturday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Courtesy of Angie Peacock<\/p>\n
Fierce dust storms destroyed many campsites in the Black Rock Desert on Saturday, the evening before Burning Man\u2019s opening day.<\/p>\n
Courtesy of Chris Pietsch<\/p>\n
Burning Man 2025: Gates reopen after dust storm as delays and flight woes continue<\/a><\/p>\n A fierce dust storm hit the Black Rock Desert on the eve of its annual Burning Man festival, causing at least four minor injuries and damaging campsites that had been set up early.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Winds of up to 50 mph stirred up the lake bed\u2019s alkaline dust so ferociously that participants in the annual art and culture festival reported not being able to see beyond a foot. Still, gates to the festival had opened by Sunday morning, with organizers cautioning new arrivals to \u201cdrive safely!\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n At least one prominent art installation was destroyed in the storm\u00a0\u2014 \u201cBlack Cloud,\u201d an 8-ton inflatable thundercloud created by a Ukrainian-led team. The piece, which was meant to symbolize the \u201cspecter of world war,\u201d withstood the storm for 15 minutes before ripping apart, according to a news release announcing its destruction.<\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps this storm has taken the threat with it\u00a0\u2014 a quiet hope on Ukraine\u2019s Independence Day, drifting away on the desert winds,\u201d spokespeople for the team wrote.<\/p>\n A\u00a0dust storm at\u00a0Burning Man destroyed the Ukrainian installation \u201cBlack Cloud, \u201d shown before the storm\u00a0hit. The piece symbolized global threats and premonitions of\u00a0catastrophes.<\/p>\n Courtesy of Gregory Vepryk<\/p>\n The dust storm arrived Saturday evening after strong thunderstorms in the Sierra Nevada drifted off the mountains and whipped up strong winds in the Nevada desert. The National Weather Service had previously warned<\/a> of strong thunderstorms and potential flooding in Mammoth Lakes, Lake Tahoe and surrounding areas Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n As the storms moved toward the desert, rain became less frequent while the wind and lightning remained.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n At 5:14 p.m. Saturday, the weather service issued a dust storm advisory<\/a> for Black Rock City and warned of \u201ca wall of blowing dust coming off the Smoke Creek and Black Rock Desert playa areas is tracking northward at around 30 mph.\u201d<\/p>\n The agency warned of visibility less than 1 mile and wind gusts exceeding 45 mph.<\/p>\n A fierce dust storm hit the Black Rock Desert on the eve of its annual Burning Man festival Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. The storm affected visibility, flipped tents and caused some minor injuries.<\/p>\n Courtesy Angie Peacock<\/p>\n A weather station at Black Rock City Airport measured gusts up to 52 mph at 5:50 p.m.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring the storm, we did not expect it to get as bad as it was,\u201d one Burner, Angie Peacock, told the Chronicle in an text message Sunday. \u201cWe were expecting 35 mph winds according to the radar we were watching so we made sure everything was secure around our camp. Very quickly things turned for the worst, It became complete white out conditions. We couldn\u2019t see about 15 feet in front of us. We saw structures being ripped and torn down by the wind speeds even though we buttoned everything down as best as we could.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cMost of us took shelter people that are in our tents, got into our shipping containers, and then everyone else in RVs got into the RVs until it blew over then we all came out, went and walked. Our property saw all the damage. Most of us went to sleep and we woke up really early this morning at 6 a.m. to recover our camp. I want to stress that when things like this happen we don\u2019t get upset or worried. We know that our camp will rebuild and that it actually brings us closer together.\u201d<\/p>\n A structure at Camp Reverbia was destroyed Saturday in the dust storm that hit the Black Rock Desert, site of the annual Burning Man celebration of art and culture.\u00a0<\/p>\n Courtesy of Angie Peacock<\/p>\n Camp residents posted a slew of videos to social media featuring\u00a0dust tornadoes<\/a>, destroyed campsites<\/a>, and fellow campers struggling to hold<\/a> onto bucking canvases as the wind threatened to rip them away.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery popup canopy I\u2019ve seen has been destroyed,\u201d one Burner wrote on\u00a0Reddit<\/a>.<\/p>\n In an emailed statement, Burning Man spokesperson Dominique Debucquoy-Dodley said the weather had since improved, and that\u00a0campgoers\u2019\u00a0response to the adverse conditions demonstrated the festival\u2019s spirit.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cThe communal effort and resilience of the Burning Man community is on full display,\u201d she wrote. \u201cParticipants are setting up camp and, due to yesterday evening\u2019s dust and wind storms, are supporting others where repair work is needed for camps and art installations.\u201d<\/p>\n The National Weather Service warned of a marginal risk of flash flooding from excessive rainfall in Black Rock Desert on Sunday and a slight risk in the Sierra Nevada from South Lake Tahoe to Mammoth Lakes.<\/p>\n Baron Lynx<\/p>\n Even after Saturday\u2019s storm, Burners won\u2019t be out of the woods from hazardous weather.<\/p>\n The weather service warned of possible monsoon thunderstorms and heavy rain Sunday through Wednesday, raising concerns that this year\u2019s festival could echo disastrous 2023 conditions, when heavy storms stranded<\/a> tens of thousands of attendees amid thick mud.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s becoming increasingly likely that we could see an even greater flash flood threat,\u201d the weather service wrote in an online forecast<\/a>. \u201cIf you\u2019re on the playa at the Black Rock Desert, you may very well be in for a muddy mess Monday through Wednesday.\u201d<\/p>\n Slow-moving storms could drop an inch of rain or more in a short period. Sunday\u2019s flood risk<\/a> was highest in the Sierra Nevada, roughly from Tahoe to Mammoth, but also extended toward Reno.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n