Flood waters force Yellowstone evacuation

Torrents of rain and a melting snowpack combined to knock out numerous roads and bridges in Montana and Wyoming on Monday, forcing the national park to close and more than 10,000 visitors to leave. The waters began to recede Tuesday. Remarkably, no injuries or deaths occurred, but some backpackers still remain in certain parts of the park. The full scope of the damage is not yet known, but the flooding destroyed numerous homes and other structures in surrounding communities.

Why did this happen? Many scientists credit extreme weather events such as storms, floods, droughts, and wildfires to global warming. However, such events cannot be directly connected to climate change without extensive study. This flooding comes as a heatwave is hitting the Midwest.

Dig deeper: Read Kent Covington’s report on the wildfire in Arizona.