Yellowstone National Park flooding: Northern parts may stay closed ...

(CNN) While all entrances of Yellowstone National Park are temporarily closed because flooding has damaged roads and bridges, the park's northern portion in particular may remain closed for "a substantial length of time," park officials said Tuesday.

"Many sections of road in (the park's northern areas) are completely gone and will require substantial time and effort to reconstruct," a news release reads. " ... It is probable that road sections in northern Yellowstone will not reopen this season due to the time required for repairs."

Dangerous flooding caused by abundant rain and rapid snowmelt began to hit the park and several counties in southern Montana on Monday, washing out or eroding roads and bridges and inflicting widespread damage on homes and businesses

The park on Monday closed all five of Yellowstone's entrances in Montana and Wyoming to inbound traffic -- in part to prevent people from being stranded as conditions deteriorated.

Yellowstone National Park could partly reopen as early as Monday, the Casper Star Tribune reports. Cam Sholly, the park's superintendent, told residents and tourists in Cody on Wednesday rangers could reopen parts of the park not badly impacted by flooding, according to the paper.

Residents of Red Lodge, Montana, clear mud, water and debris from the city's main street on Tuesday.

Park officials told visitors already in the park to leave, and more than 10,000 have left the park since Monday, Sholly said Tuesday.

Though cooler temperatures and drier weather have allowed some parts of swollen rivers to start receding, higher temperatures are expected later this week and into the weekend, which could cause more snowmelt runoff and therefore more flooding, CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller said.

"There will be no inbound visitor traffic at any of the five entrances into the park, including visitors with lodging and camping reservations, until conditions improve and park infrastructure is evaluated," the park's release reads.

Quickly deteriorating road conditions in Yellowstone created harrowing evacuations for some visitors, including the parents of CNN supervising producer Tim Carter, who had to exit over a bridge which had been compromised.

"When we were going over it, it was really scary because the water was already violently swirling around the bridge," Martha Carter said. "We did find out later that it had washed out."

Meanwhile, some surrounding communities in Montana were left without power or safe drinking water as flood conditions made it impossible or unsafe to travel and compromised water supplies.

Gov. Greg Gianforte declared a statewide disaster Tuesday and MontanaGov. Greg Gianforte declared a statewide disaster Tuesday and announced he would seek an expedited presidential disaster declaration to help cover the cost of recovery.

Dramatic flooding prompts evacuations and rescues

Rain and snowmelt flooded rivers including the Yellowstone River, which runs northwest through Yellowstone Park in Wyoming and then north and eastward through several nearby Montana communities.

The flooding washed out parts of roads especially in the northern part of the park, and inundated south Montana homes, businesses and infrastructure Monday, forcing many families to evacuate. In the Montana city of Gardiner, a gateway to the park's northern entrance, video from witnesses showed a building collapsing into the Yellowstone River on Monday.

In Montana's Park County, which includes Gardiner, at least two homes collapsed into the intruding river and numerous homes and businesses were flooded, Greg Coleman, the county's disaster emergency services manager, told CNN Wednesday.

For some, roads and bridges were rendered temporarily impassable by the flooding, leaving them trapped, at times without clean water or power.

The Montana National Guard used four helicopters to help with evacuations in affected areas on Monday and Tuesday and also sent soldiers to the city of Red Lodge to establish a command center for search and rescue efforts, the force said. The Guard has used helicopters to rescue 87 people in south-central Montana since Monday, it said Wednesday

A Montana helicopter company flew about 40 people out of Gardiner, which was temporarily isolated by flooding, Laura Jones with Rocky Mountain Rotors told CNN.

A house that was pulled into a flooded creek in Red Lodge, Montana, is pictured Tuesday.

In the south Montana community of Absarokee, situated along a Yellowstone River tributary, resident Tracy Planichek and her husband had just reached their long-awaited goal of having a new home when the flood threat forced them to evacuate.

Now, she told CNN, she is desperately hoping it has avoided the destruction seen in other homes, some of which were swept away. "(We've) never been able to afford a new house," she said. "It's sitting at the top of the lane, and we're hoping that by some God miracle that our house will be there."

A road from Livingston into Gardiner was reopened Tuesday to local traffic, goods and services, but "significant damage" remains, Park County Sheriff Brad Bichler said.

A road near Yellowstone National Park's northern entrance was significantly damaged by flooding.

Floods shut down businesses in Gardiner

The flooding in Yellowstone has also had an adverse effect on businesses in the area.

Tami Rai McDonald owns the historic Park Hotel Yellowstone in Gardiner and told CNN Wednesday she and her staff are "at the end of a rope" because the flooding and closing of Yellowstone Park has "cut us off from the world."

The Park Hotel is usually booked one to two years in advance, McDonald said.

Photos taken on Tuesday afternoon show the aftermath of the flooding in Red Lodge, Montana. Images show the street covered in rocks and debris from the high water levels.

"This closure of entrance during high season has caught all by surprise with no back up plans to survive what supports our livelihood," McDonald told CNN via text message, adding many visitors have called and emailed they were looking forward to staying at her hotel and have no alternative plans.

"So we (are) empty now, employees planned their lives to be here to keep things special, they feel a bit lifeless, abandoned, we feel sick for our guests who so looked forward to their time here, to get away, so excited," McDonald's text read. "So many guests are so upset, crying, don't know what to do."

Zachary Beard told CNN he took these photos Tuesday along Broadway Avenue in Red Lodge, Montana.

Kari Huesing, who works at the Yellowstone Gateway Inn, told CNN the area has been a ghost town this week. One hotel, she said, shut down and sent all of their employees home. Her hotel will have a meeting to decide what they can do going forward.

"This is all based on tourism," Huesing said. The Yellowstone Gateway Inn had been booked for a year, Huesing said, and now there is all but one person at the hotel who actually recently checked out.

Flood wave moves to Billings and further east

A wave of flooding still was moving east Wednesday along the Yellowstone River, threatening more trouble in south Montana.

By early Wednesday, major flooding from the river was being reported in Billings, roughly a 175-mile drive east of Gardiner. The river in Billings rose above its previous record, 15 feet, around 4 p.m. Tuesday, said the National Weather Service.

"Exactly how high the river is, is a bit unsure with floodwaters impacting the gauge a bit at these higher levels, but have not seen a downturn trend yet," the service's office in Billings tweeted early Wednesday

Fields and streets were flooded along the river Tuesday just outside Billings, images posted to Facebook by the Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office showed. One picture showed two people walking in calf-deep water in a neighborhood.

Billings public works officials said they decided Tuesday night to shut down water plant facilities after flooding in the Yellowstone River caused river levels to exceed 16 feet, according to a Facebook post from the department.

"As of Wednesday at 8:30 a.m., the water level at the plant reached more than 16 feet. For the plant to operate effectively, the river needs to be at 15 feet or below," officials said in the post.

Public works director Debi Meling said Wednesday no one had planned for this level of flooding the facilities were designed and recognized the diligence of the facilities' operational teams.

She added the plant would not return to "normal operations" until river water levels decrease.

Meling said all reservoirs are filled, and the plant would have water for the community for about a day to a day and a half. Superintendent of Parks Mike Pigg said firetrucks were filled with water and water for all city parks was turned off.

The river should crest there Wednesday -- though attention will turn to high temperatures that could cause more snowmelt and more flooding in the region this weekend.

Billings will approach record temperatures in the upper 90s Friday and Saturday, while the higher elevations will be in the 60s and 70s. This would be warm enough to melt the remaining snow pack and lead to additional river rises over the weekend. And more rain is possible in the area on Sunday.

A lot of rain and snowmelt in only three days

What led to the flooding was substantial rainfall and snow runoff over the weekend in the Beartooth and Absaroka mountain ranges, which span the Montana-Wyoming state line.

The combination of rain and snowmelt created a "total water event of at least 4 to 9 inches," the National Weather Service in Billings said Tuesday.

That amount of runoff is similar to the region receiving two to three times a normal June's precipitation in only three days, according to CNN meteorologists.

In the park, officials had all visitors move out of lodging and campgrounds and leave the park to prevent anyone from being stranded, the National Park Service said in a news release . The park averages between 15,000 and 20,000 visitors in June, Sholly said.

The park has also closed the Yellowstone back country and has been in contact with groups in the area.

A washed out bridge at Yellowstone National Park's Rescue Creek.

"We have contacted or know the whereabouts of every back country user currently in Yellowstone," Sholly said, noting one group remained in the northern range. No helicopter evacuations have been necessary, he said.

No known injuries or deaths occurred in the park because of the flooding, Sholly said, and officials do not believe the animals in the park have been significantly affected.

The park's southern loop "appears to be less impacted than the northern roads" and teams will try to determine when the loop can be reopened. But officials expect it to stay closed at least through Sunday, the park's release states.

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Yellowstone flooding, damage closes national park, forces ...

GARDINER, Mont. – Yellowstone National Park officials assessed widespread damage Tuesday as the park remained closed amid dangerous floods, mudslides and rockslides that have eroded roads, ripped apart bridges and forced evacuations this week.

The water started to slowly recede Tuesday and one key highway reopened, but the record-level floods left all five entrances to the park closed through at least Wednesday, officials said. And, officials said during an update on Tuesday, the water levels could still change at any time.

“The water is still raging,” said Park Superintendent Cam Sholly, who added that more wet weather was forecast this weekend, which could cause additional flooding.

The park, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, has seen multiple road and bridge failures, power outages and mudslides, causing the evacuations of more than 10,000 visitors from the park.

“I’ve never seen this, not in my lifetime,” said Austin King, a firefighter and EMT in Gardiner, a town just outside Yellowstone's busy northern entrance.

There were no reports of injuries or deaths as of Tuesday afternoon, but floodwaters swept away a number of homes, bridges and other structures. The northern part of the park suffered the worst damage.

The full scope of the damage was not known Tuesday, leaving it unclear when roads might reopen or when residents in neighboring communities might be able to return.

The northern loop of Yellowstone National Park was cleared of visitors and park officials were working to evacuate visitors in the southern area of the park Tuesday. Park staff were searching for five back-country groups to ensure they were safely evacuated.

Meanwhile, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte declared a statewide disaster and said the Montana National Guard rescued 12 people stranded by high waters in Roscoe and Cooke City.

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Highways reopen as floodwaters recede

The Yellowstone River reached highs of almost 14 feet on Monday, far higher than the record 11.5 feet set more than a century ago, according the the National Weather Service.

Although the water was still "extremely" high, a route out of Gardiner, a town of about 900 people, reopened Tuesday afternoon, according to county Commissioner Bill Berg and Sholly.

Visitors could drive out using U.S. Highway 89 and East River Road, but only residents and service vehicles were allowed to drive back inside. While some residents questioned if they could wait a few days before leaving town, Berg and Sholly were adamant: “Get out of Gardiner.”

"We are working with the county and state of Montana to provide necessary support to residents, who are currently without water and power in some areas," Yellowstone officials said Monday.

A smaller highway into the previously isolated Cooke City also reopened to local traffic and emergency services Tuesday afternoon.

Yellowstone communities left stranded, without power

The flooding left some of Yellowstone's small gateway communities in southern Montana isolated and without power, leading to evacuations by boat and helicopter.

Floodwaters isolated areas including Silvergate, which is east of the park, and led to evacuations in Livingston. As Stillwater River in south-central Montana flooded, 68 people were stranded at a campground as crews rescued campers by raft.

Officials in Park County, which encompasses those cities, issued shelter-in-place orders Monday and warned flooding had made drinking water unsafe in many communities. Residents hauled bottled water home from stores and worried about a possible food shortage.

Many in Gardiner have used only bottled water to brush their teeth, wash dishes and prepare food due to a break in the area's main water service line. The community was under an advisory to boil water before consumption as of Tuesday afternoon.

The county said water and air rescues were underway amid evacuations Monday.

"Extensive flooding throughout Park County has washed out bridges, roads, and left communities and homes isolated," Park County said in a statement.

A 10-person bunker was among the buildings that slipped from the riverbank into the water. Only a portion of the building's foundation remained Tuesday.

Parker Manning, who was visiting from Terre Haute, Indiana, watched the flooding from a cabin in Gardiner. He said he saw trees and a mostly intact house floating in rushing waters.

In the south-central Montana town of Joliet, Kristan Apodaca cried as she watched floodwaters overtake her grandmother's log cabin and the park where her husband proposed.

"I am sixth-generation," she told the Billings Gazette. "This is our home."

King, the EMT in Gardiner, said the flooding was "damaging for a lot of people."

"Some have lost their houses; others can’t go to work," King said. "People are worried about food shortages already."

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When will Yellowstone reopen?

Yellowstone officials have prohibited visitors from entering the park at any of its five entrances until at least Wednesday.

Sholly said the park could remain closed as long as a week, and northern entrances may not reopen at all this summer.

Cory Mottice, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Billings, Montana, said reduced rain and cooler temperatures, which could lead to decreased snowmelt, may lessen flooding.

Still, "this is flooding that we’ve just never seen in our lifetimes before," Mottice said.

Why is Yellowstone flooding?

Record rainfall combined with rapidly melting snowpack caused the deluge of flooding this week. Scientists pointed to climate change as the culprit behind more intense and frequent weather events.

The flooding happened as the summer tourist season was ramping up. June is one of the park's busiest months.

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What state is Yellowstone National Park in?

The world's first national park, Yellowstone National Park encompasses nearly 3,500 square miles on top of a volcanic hot spot. The park lies mostly in Wyoming but spreads into Montana and Idaho.

The park allows visitors "to observe wildlife in an intact ecosystem, explore geothermal areas that contain about half the world’s active geysers, and view geologic wonders like the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River," according to the Yellowstone's website.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Contact News Now Reporter Christine Fernando at cfernando@usatoday.com or follow her on Twitter at @christinetfern.

Hannah Phillips of The Palm Beach Post reported from Gardiner, Montana.

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Unprecedented flooding conditions force Yellowstone park to close ...

(CNN) Yellowstone National Park will remain closed to visitors through at least Wednesday due to dangerous flooding conditions, which have prompted park evacuations and left some in surrounding communities trapped without safe drinking water, officials say.

A Montana helicopter company transported about 40 people on Monday and Tuesday from a community airstrip in the town of Gardiner in Park County, Laura Jones of Rocky Mountain Rotors told CNN.

"We haven't 'rescued' anyone that was in danger, we have mainly been transporting people out of there," Jones said via email. "We have also taken some passengers in who had pets they needed to get to or live there and needed to get home."

The park announced Monday afternoon that all park entrances were closed to visitors, citing "record flooding events" and a forecast of more rain to come.

The abundant rainfall and rapid snowmelt combined to produce up to three-quarters of a foot of water runoff, which is similar to the area receiving 2 to 3 months of June precipitation in only three days, according to CNN Weather calculations.

"Our first priority has been to evacuate the northern section of the park where we have multiple road and bridge failures, mudslides and other issues," Yellowstone Park Superintendent Cam Sholly said in a statement Monday.

"Well over 10,000 visitors" were in the park, according to Sholly, who said at a news conference Monday he didn't have an exact number, but average visitation in June can be between 15,000 and 20,000 people.

A road in Yellowstone National Park partially collapsed due to flooding Monday.

Immediately north of the Yellowstone, several cities in Montana's Park County were also experiencing extensive flooding, which has washed out bridges and roads, making it unsafe to travel or impossible to evacuate, Park County officials said on Facebook

Officials have also issued warnings in many areas for residents to avoid drinking local water due to a broken water main and submerged wells.

The Park County town of Gardiner, located at the northern entrance to Yellowstone, is isolated and surrounded by water after heavy flooding washed out bridges and roads, county officials said on Facebook on Tuesday.

Damage from flooding in the town is "significant," Park County Sheriff Brad Bichler said Tuesday.

"The water's coming down and it's kind of showing us exactly what kind of damage we're dealing with," Bichler said at a news conference.

Sholly told reporters Tuesday evening that the road between Gardiner and Cooke City will likely remain closed for the remainder of the season. He said no damage estimates are yet available.

"This is not going to be an easy rebuild," Sholly said, referring the five-mile stretch of road most affected by the flooding. He said officials will have to assess whether it make sense to rebuild the road in that area.

Gardiner is a hub of activity in the region and the only entrance that remained open to wheeled-vehicle use year-round, according to the town website.

CNN tried to contact Park County officials to confirm how many people are affected but has been unable to reach them.

Many roads and bridges are inaccessible, along with some railroad tracks. A few roads and bridges remain open to emergency traffic. The National Guard and local rescue groups were conducting evacuations, water rescues and airlifts.

Officials on Tuesday warned residents that displaced wildlife could traverse their properties, with bears, deer and domestic livestock already spotted.

"The river has never been this high before by my house," said Elizabeth Aluck, who lives in Gardiner. Aluck told CNN Monday afternoon that she cannot evacuate because the roads and bridges around her home are washed out.

An Indiana family staying at a short-term rental cabin in Gardiner told CNN they were supposed to leave Monday morning, but the flooding left them stranded.

"The water levels were high on Saturday but within the past 10 to 12 hours things have gotten rougher," Parker Manning said. "Our way out of town would be north on 89, but those roads are currently all underwater."

JUST WATCHED See the severe flooding that shut down Yellowstone National Park Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH See the severe flooding that shut down Yellowstone National Park 01:15

The Yellowstone River, which runs through the park and several Park County cities, swelled to a record high Monday due to recent heavy rainfall and significant runoff from melting snow in higher elevations, according to CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller.

The Yellowstone River gauge at Corwin Springs, Montana, reached 13.88 feet Monday afternoon, surpassing the historical high crest of 11.5 feet from 1918, NOAA river gauge data shows.

Governor declares statewide disaster

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte declared a "statewide disaster" on Tuesday "to help impacted communities get back on their feet as soon as possible," according to a Twitter post.

Snow melt and rainfall across the Beartooths and Absarokas -- which span the Montana-Wyoming border -- have led to "flooding rarely or never seen before across many area rivers and streams," the National Weather Service in Billings said on its on website.

The Montana National Guard had evacuated 12 people stranded from flooding in Roscoe and Cooke City, the governor said in a separate Twitter post. The National Guard said it also was responding to a search and rescue request in the East Rosebud Lake area.

Several roads and bridges are severely damaged in southern Montana and may be temporarily closed, according to an tweet from Montana's Disaster and Emergency Services.

Across the nation in recent days, extreme weather events have battered communities, including thunderstorms that left nearly 300,000 customers without power in the Midwest, a tornado threat in Chicago, and a severe heat dome which has left more than a third of the US population under heat alerts.

A large rockslide on North Entrance Road in Yellowstone National Park Monday.

Some are evacuated while others remain trapped

As several roads and bridges were rendered impassable by floodwaters, park and county officials in Montana worked to evacuate whoever they can and provide support to those who are unable to leave.

The National Guard and local search and rescue teams were assisting with evacuations and rescues throughout the county, including two air lifts and one swift water rescue, the county said.

JUST WATCHED Video shows Yellowstone River flooding take out part of waterfront home Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Video shows Yellowstone River flooding take out part of waterfront home 00:25

Multiple communities in Park County were isolated and surrounded by water, including Gardiner, Cooke City and Silver Gate, an update on the county Facebook page said. Quickly rushing floodwaters have also damaged homes, as images show houses either partially or fully collapsing.

In neighboring Carbon County, Montana, flooding compromised utility service lines, leaving many customers in Red Lodge without power, officials said.

Meanwhile, several roads and bridges in Yellowstone have also been compromised by flooding, park officials say. Videos released by the park show portions of paved road washed out or severely eroded.

A bridge at Rescue Creek in Yellowstone National Park was washed out by rushing waters.

Due to predictions of higher flood levels and concerns about water and wastewater systems, the park also began moving visitors out of the southern loop of the park Monday, Sholly said.

"We will not know timing of the park's reopening until flood waters subside and we're able to assess the damage throughout the park," Sholly said. "It is likely that the northern loop will be closed for a substantial amount of time."

Dramatic increase in rain strengthens floodwaters

In June, precipitation across northwestern Wyoming and southern Montana has been more that 400% of the region's average, according to Miller.

The dramatic increase in rain has been coupled with near-record temperatures in the region that have caused snowmelt in areas of high elevation, the NWS in Riverton, Wyoming, said. Overnight Sunday, the snowmelt made its way into streams and rivers, further adding to the floodwaters, the NWS said.

In addition to the record set at Corwin Springs, the Yellowstone River reached 10.9 feet in Livingston, Montana, Monday exceeding the area's 1997 record of 10.7 feet, the NWS in Billings said.

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What caused Yellowstone's 'unprecedented' flooding? - CNN

CNN —

Extreme rainfall rates and rapid snowmelt prompted the flash flooding in Yellowstone National Park early this week, washing out roads and bridges in the park and causing “significant” damage to the town of Gardiner, Montana, at the park’s entrance.

Abnormally warm temperatures and torrential rain triggered a wave of snowmelt over the weekend which produced nearly a foot of water runoff by Monday.

The Beartooth and Absaroka mountain ranges “received anywhere from 0.8 inches to over 5 inches of rainfall” from June 10 to June 13, the National Weather Service in Billings revealed Tuesday.

The extreme rainfall combined with snowmelt led to a massive deluge of water equivalent to the area receiving two to three months worth of summer precipitation in just three days, according to CNN Weather calculations.

The enormous volume of water then flowed into the rivers and valleys in lower elevations, where it quickly rose to record depths and led to “flooding rarely or never seen before,” forecasters at the National Weather Service said.

The Yellowstone River, which runs through the park and several Park County cities, reached 13.88 feet at Corwin Springs Monday afternoon, surpassing the historical high crest of 11.5 feet from 1918, according to NOAA.

Video Ad Feedback 00:59 - Source: CNN Watch moment house collapses into flood water

Scientists predicted events like this week’s flash flooding would happen more often in the Yellowstone area as global temperatures climb. A report published just last year on the future of Yellowstone concluded the climate crisis would lead to more rainfall and rapid snowmelt due to extreme spring and summer warmth.

In the report published last year, scientists with the US Geological Survey, Montana State University and the University of Wyoming examined how the climate has changed from 1950 to 2018, and how it would continue until the end of the century based on projected greenhouse gas scenarios from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The report showed average temperatures in the Greater Yellowstone Area rose by 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit since 1950, and could increase another five to 10 degrees in the coming decades.

Under the climate scenario where significant reductions to greenhouse gas emissions are made in the next few years, scientists found annual precipitation in the region could still increase by 9% to 15%, though high temperatures and evaporation rates would still likely worsen the region’s drought conditions.

It suggests the Yellowstone region will experience what the rest of the West is already experiencing: long periods of dry conditions punctuated by brief moments of torrential rainfall, which leads to dangerous flash flooding.

Studies have shown how climate change could produce larger and more intense rain events, leading to more flash floods like the Montana and Wyoming are facing right now.

Though cooler temperatures and drier weather have allowed for rivers and streams in the Yellowstone region to drop back to normal levels, even hotter temperatures are expected late this week and weekend, which could lead to more melting, and bring additional flooding to the region.

“Plan on highs in the 60 to 70s in the higher elevations [Friday and Saturday], which should melt much of the remaining snowpack and lead to additional river rises,” the National Weather Service in Billings said Tuesday.

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Yellowstone National Park flooding: Unprecedented flooding ...

See the severe flooding that shut down Yellowstone National Park

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CNN —

Yellowstone National Park will remain closed to visitors through at least Wednesday due to dangerous flooding conditions, which have prompted park evacuations and left some in surrounding communities trapped without safe drinking water, officials say.

A Montana helicopter company transported about 40 people on Monday and Tuesday from a community airstrip in the town of Gardiner in Park County, Laura Jones of Rocky Mountain Rotors told CNN.

“We haven’t ‘rescued’ anyone that was in danger, we have mainly been transporting people out of there,” Jones said via email. “We have also taken some passengers in who had pets they needed to get to or live there and needed to get home.”

The park announced Monday afternoon that all park entrances were closed to visitors, citing “record flooding events” and a forecast of more rain to come.

The abundant rainfall and rapid snowmelt combined to produce up to three-quarters of a foot of water runoff, which is similar to the area receiving 2 to 3 months of June precipitation in only three days, according to CNN Weather calculations.

“Our first priority has been to evacuate the northern section of the park where we have multiple road and bridge failures, mudslides and other issues,” Yellowstone Park Superintendent Cam Sholly said in a statement Monday.

“Well over 10,000 visitors” were in the park, according to Sholly, who said at a news conference Monday he didn’t have an exact number, but average visitation in June can be between 15,000 and 20,000 people.

A road in Yellowstone National Park partially collapsed due to flooding Monday. National Park Service/AP

Immediately north of the Yellowstone, several cities in Montana’s Park County were also experiencing extensive flooding, which has washed out bridges and roads, making it unsafe to travel or impossible to evacuate, Park County officials said on Facebook.

Officials have also issued warnings in many areas for residents to avoid drinking local water due to a broken water main and submerged wells.

The Park County town of Gardiner, located at the northern entrance to Yellowstone, is isolated and surrounded by water after heavy flooding washed out bridges and roads, county officials said on Facebook on Tuesday.

Damage from flooding in the town is “significant,” Park County Sheriff Brad Bichler said Tuesday.

“The water’s coming down and it’s kind of showing us exactly what kind of damage we’re dealing with,” Bichler said at a news conference.

Sholly told reporters Tuesday evening that the road between Gardiner and Cooke City will likely remain closed for the remainder of the season. He said no damage estimates are yet available.

“This is not going to be an easy rebuild,” Sholly said, referring the five-mile stretch of road most affected by the flooding. He said officials will have to assess whether it make sense to rebuild the road in that area.

Gardiner is a hub of activity in the region and the only entrance that remained open to wheeled-vehicle use year-round, according to the town website.

CNN tried to contact Park County officials to confirm how many people are affected but has been unable to reach them.

Many roads and bridges are inaccessible, along with some railroad tracks. A few roads and bridges remain open to emergency traffic. The National Guard and local rescue groups were conducting evacuations, water rescues and airlifts.

Officials on Tuesday warned residents that displaced wildlife could traverse their properties, with bears, deer and domestic livestock already spotted.

“The river has never been this high before by my house,” said Elizabeth Aluck, who lives in Gardiner. Aluck told CNN Monday afternoon that she cannot evacuate because the roads and bridges around her home are washed out.

An Indiana family staying at a short-term rental cabin in Gardiner told CNN they were supposed to leave Monday morning, but the flooding left them stranded.

“The water levels were high on Saturday but within the past 10 to 12 hours things have gotten rougher,” Parker Manning said. “Our way out of town would be north on 89, but those roads are currently all underwater.”

Video Ad Feedback 01:15 - Source: CNN See the severe flooding that shut down Yellowstone National Park

The Yellowstone River, which runs through the park and several Park County cities, swelled to a record high Monday due to recent heavy rainfall and significant runoff from melting snow in higher elevations, according to CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller.

The Yellowstone River gauge at Corwin Springs, Montana, reached 13.88 feet Monday afternoon, surpassing the historical high crest of 11.5 feet from 1918, NOAA river gauge data shows.

Governor declares statewide disaster

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte declared a “statewide disaster” on Tuesday “to help impacted communities get back on their feet as soon as possible,” according to a Twitter post.

Snow melt and rainfall across the Beartooths and Absarokas – which span the Montana-Wyoming border – have led to “flooding rarely or never seen before across many area rivers and streams,” the National Weather Service in Billings said on its on website.

The Montana National Guard had evacuated 12 people stranded from flooding in Roscoe and Cooke City, the governor said in a separate Twitter post. The National Guard said it also was responding to a search and rescue request in the East Rosebud Lake area.

Several roads and bridges are severely damaged in southern Montana and may be temporarily closed, according to an tweet from Montana’s Disaster and Emergency Services.

Across the nation in recent days, extreme weather events have battered communities, including thunderstorms that left nearly 300,000 customers without power in the Midwest, a tornado threat in Chicago, and a severe heat dome which has left more than a third of the US population under heat alerts.

A large rockslide on North Entrance Road in Yellowstone National Park Monday. National Park Service/AP

Some are evacuated while others remain trapped

As several roads and bridges were rendered impassable by floodwaters, park and county officials in Montana worked to evacuate whoever they can and provide support to those who are unable to leave.

The National Guard and local search and rescue teams were assisting with evacuations and rescues throughout the county, including two air lifts and one swift water rescue, the county said.

Video Ad Feedback 00:25 - Source: CNN Video shows Yellowstone River flooding take out part of waterfront home

Multiple communities in Park County were isolated and surrounded by water, including Gardiner, Cooke City and Silver Gate, an update on the county Facebook page said. Quickly rushing floodwaters have also damaged homes, as images show houses either partially or fully collapsing.

In neighboring Carbon County, Montana, flooding compromised utility service lines, leaving many customers in Red Lodge without power, officials said.

Meanwhile, several roads and bridges in Yellowstone have also been compromised by flooding, park officials say. Videos released by the park show portions of paved road washed out or severely eroded.

A bridge at Rescue Creek in Yellowstone National Park was washed out by rushing waters. National Park Service/AP

Due to predictions of higher flood levels and concerns about water and wastewater systems, the park also began moving visitors out of the southern loop of the park Monday, Sholly said.

“We will not know timing of the park’s reopening until flood waters subside and we’re able to assess the damage throughout the park,” Sholly said. “It is likely that the northern loop will be closed for a substantial amount of time.”

Dramatic increase in rain strengthens floodwaters

In June, precipitation across northwestern Wyoming and southern Montana has been more that 400% of the region’s average, according to Miller.

The dramatic increase in rain has been coupled with near-record temperatures in the region that have caused snowmelt in areas of high elevation, the NWS in Riverton, Wyoming, said. Overnight Sunday, the snowmelt made its way into streams and rivers, further adding to the floodwaters, the NWS said.

In addition to the record set at Corwin Springs, the Yellowstone River reached 10.9 feet in Livingston, Montana, Monday exceeding the area’s 1997 record of 10.7 feet, the NWS in Billings said.

Home swept away as Yellowstone National Park is hit by major ...

As summer tourist season ramps up, record-breaking floods in Yellowstone National Park and dangerous mudslides have swept away homes, ripped apart bridges and forced evacuations of surrounding communities isolated without power.

On Tuesday, a video showed a home in Gardiner, Montana, collapsing into the murky waters of Yellowstone River.

Yellowstone River reached highs not seen in our lifetimes, at almost 14 feet on Monday. The previous record of 11.5 feet occurred more than a century ago, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Yellowstone National Park covers nearly 3,500 square miles in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. It sits atop a volcanic hot spot with about half the world’s active geysers.

Nearby Park County said water and air rescues were underway Monday and issued shelter-in-place orders.

More:Yellowstone National Park closes entrances, evacuates visitors amid 'unprecedented' rainfall, flooding

Climate change is responsible for more intense and frequent weather events, scientists have said.

Rainfall is expected for the next several days and all five entrances to the park were closed, officials said Monday. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Camille Fine is a trending visual producer on USA TODAY's NOW team. She loves to make pizza, photograph friends and spoil her loving cat Pearl.

Yellowstone still closed as flooding recedes and thousands ...

GARDINER, Mont. – On a typical day, helicopter pilot Mark Taylor might fly tourists or professional photographers above national parks in the West, scouting for wildlife and offering a birds-eye view of the mountains, geysers and waterfalls.

But when historic flooding hit Yellowstone National Park this week, Taylor sprang into action and helped dozens evacuate from towns that couldn't be evacuated by road. Park County law enforcement reached out to his Montana-based company, Rocky Mountain Rotors, about a helicopter, and — by the "Montana way of a handshake agreement" — he agreed.

"There's just no questions asked," Taylor told USA TODAY in an interview Wednesday. "We just go do the work and provide whatever helicopter services that they need."

After offering his services, the phones were inundated with travelers and residents eager to quickly vacate the Yellowstone area as floodwaters swept away homes, eroded roads, ripped apart bridges and left some stranded. Entire towns were temporarily isolated without a way out after roads closed or were demolished by rushing water.

The flooding continued to devastate the area Wednesday with rushing water reaching Montana's largest city. The floodwaters in Billings, which boasts a population of 110,000, flooded farms and ranches and caused the shutdown of the area's water treatment plant, although the city reported improvement at the plant on Wednesday evening.

'Nothing that we have ever seen'

Many who called were in Gardiner, a town of about 900 people just north of Yellowstone. People there were isolated for more than a day before roads reopened. Many were tourists, some with medical issues, who didn't want to risk waiting for the Montana National Guard, which has rescued at least 87 people, according to the Department of Defense. Over the course of two days, Taylor was hired to pick up about 40 people from the local airport, including a cancer patient, two pregnant women, and a man who recently had a stroke.

As Taylor flew around Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding communities, he watched debris, including huge pieces of houses, timber and even 1000-gallon propane tanks, float downstream as a river ate up massive swaths of land.

"It was obvious that this flood was like nothing that we have ever seen," he said.

Yellowstone National Park flooding: Waters 'still raging'; more than 10,000 visitors evacuated: What we know

Almost all the tourists in Yellowstone National Park — more than 10,000 — were evacuated as historic levels of flooding forced the park to close earlier this week. The only tourists remaining Wednesday were a dozen campers making their way out of the back-country.

Officials were working Wednesday to repair damaged infrastructure and prepared for more wet weather over the weekend. The park could remain closed for a week after the floods damaged roads, bridges and homes, Superintendent Cam Sholly said Tuesday. Sholly said additional flooding was possible over the weekend.

No injuries or deaths have been reported amid the devastation. Roads were starting to reopen and some evacuated residents in Park County were allowed back into their homes Tuesday.

"We're really, really, really thankful that there wasn't a river drowning," Taylor said. "When we're called out, it's not always a happy ending and usually lives are lost."

Residents in Yellowstone communities assess damage

The full impact of the flooding, mudslides and rockslides is not yet known, but the northern part of the park and the smaller communities that border it suffered some of the worst damage.

In Red Lodge, a town of 2,100 that’s a popular jumping-off point for a scenic route into the Yellowstone high country, a creek running through town jumped its banks and swamped the main thoroughfare.

The water toppled telephone poles, knocked over fences and carved deep fissures in the ground through a neighborhood of hundreds of houses. Electricity was restored by Tuesday, but there was still no running water in the area.

Taylor is planning to fly a small group to an area near Red Lodge this week to seal up cabins and get rid of food to prevent bears from entering the properties.

At least 200 homes were flooded in Red Lodge and the town of Fromberg, including Heidi Hoffman's. She left early Monday to buy a sump pump, which can be used to pump water out of a home. But by the time she returned, her basement was full of water.

“We lost all our belongings in the basement,” Hoffman said as the pump removed a steady stream of water into her muddy backyard. “Yearbooks, pictures, clothes, furniture. We're going to be cleaning up for a long time.”

Residents in Park County hauled bottled water home from stores as concerns mounted over a possible food shortage due to blocked routes making deliveries difficult. As Stillwater River in south-central Montana flooded, 68 people were stranded at a campground as crews rescued campers by raft.

Silver Gate, a community just northeast of the park, is now the only town inaccessible by road, according to Park County officials.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte declared a statewide disaster Tuesday and was seeking an expedited presidential disaster declaration to help cover the cost of repair.

The Yellowstone River reached highs of almost 14 feet on Monday, far higher than the record 11.5 feet set more than a century ago, according the the National Weather Service.

Record rainfall combined with rapidly melting snowpack caused the deluge of flooding this week. Scientists pointed to climate change as the culprit behind more intense and frequent weather events.

The flooding comes as the summer tourist season was ramping up. June is one of the busiest months for the park, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.

The world's first national park, Yellowstone National Park encompasses nearly 3,500 square miles on top of a volcanic hot spot.

The park, which stretches across Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, previously closed in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, but Sholly said he didn't believe the park had ever closed for flooding.

What to know if you're hoping to visit Yellowstone National Park

People planning to visit in weeks ahead are being advised to stay abreast of road and weather conditions due to the severe damage.

The northern portion of the park, which features popular sites like Tower Fall, Mammoth Hot Springs and the Lamar Valley, may not reopen for the summer tourist season and is "likely to remain closed for a substantial length of time due to severely damaged, impacted infrastructure," park officials said in a statement.

Some parts of the park may require reservations.

"Due to the northern loop being unavailable for visitors, the park is analyzing how many visitors can safely visit the southern loop once it’s safe to reopen," the park said Tuesday.

SUMMER VISITORS:What to know if you're hoping to visit Yellowstone National Park after floods recede

All nine Yellowstone lodges, 12 campgrounds and 293 backcountry campsites are closed through at least Sunday and until further notice. Refunds would be issued if needed for reserved lodging and activities, the park said.

Guests hoping to cancel should expect long hold times as the central reservations line is "experiencing extremely high call volumes," according to the park's lodging website.

Businesses in hard-hit Gardiner had just started really recovering from the tourism contraction brought by the coronavirus pandemic, and were hoping for a good year, Bill Berg, a commissioner in nearby Park County, said.

“It’s a Yellowstone town, and it lives and dies by tourism, and this is going to be a pretty big hit,” he said. “They’re looking to try to figure out how to hold things together.”

Contributing: Christine Fernando, Eve Chen, Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

Hannah Phillips of The Palm Beach Post reported from Gardiner, Montana.

Contact Breaking News Reporter N'dea Yancey-Bragg at nyanceybra@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @NdeaYanceyBragg

Across the US, a day of extreme weather prompts heat warnings ...

See the severe flooding that shut down Yellowstone National Park

CNN —

In a matter of hours Monday, the iconic landmarks of Yellowstone National Park were shuttered to the public and its roads left unpassable after a torrential downpour and rapid snowmelt contributed to unprecedented flooding at one of America’s most visited national parks.

A helicopter flying overhead captured scenes of destruction – with massive chunks of concrete snatched from the road as the swollen Gardner River raged outside its banks. It was one of many scenes of extreme weather Monday across the US.

In a span of 24 hours, American communities grappled with a slew of severe weather threats that left hundreds of thousands without power in the Midwest, trapped flooded communities in Montana without clean drinking water, prompted tornado warnings in Chicago and left millions battling sweltering heat.

These are the extreme weather events the US endured Monday.

Hundreds of thousands without power in the Midwest

Severe storms that moved across the Upper Midwest and the Ohio River Valley left more than 620,000 customers without power early Tuesday, according to PowerOutage.us, with more than 370,000 outages in Ohio alone.

Thunderstorms prompted a tornado warning in Chicago during the busy evening rush hour as wind gusts of up to 84 mph buffeted the city.

The same storm system brought lashing winds and rain to portions of western Ohio, Michigan and northern Indiana, generating more than 200 wind reports in the region, including a 98 mph gust in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Millions endure dangerous heat

A heat dome that enveloped the Southwest in heat and humidity last week shifted to the central US and put more than 125 million people in the region under heat advisories.

That’s more than one third of the US population enduring potentially dangerous heat levels.

Several cities set temperature records Monday afternoon, including Asheville, North Carolina, St. Louis and Nashville. In North Platte, Nebraska, the temperature rocketed to a record 108 degrees.

The heat will continue to travel northeast into the upper Mississippi Valley, western Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, and it will continue to build Tuesday over the southern Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, according to the Weather Prediction Center.

More than 100 million people are under some sort of heat alert Tuesday.

Excessive heat forecasts forced some schools in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin to announce that classes will be canceled, close early or move online this week.

Even after this heat dome subsides, relief could be short-lived. Heat waves will become increasingly common and more severe, experts say.

“Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heat waves around the world, tilting the scale in the direction of warmer temperatures,” CNN meteorologist and climate expert Brandon Miller explained.

“In the United States, record high temperatures are now well more than twice as likely to occur compared to record low temperatures,” according to the US National Climate Assessment.

Extreme flooding shuts Yellowstone, strands locals

Heavy rainfall and rapid snowmelt drove extreme flooding and road erosion in Yellowstone National Park and some surrounding communities, forcing officials to close the park to incoming visitors and leaving many nearby residents unable to escape the rising water due to compromised roads.

Communities north of the park are experiencing dramatic flooding, including in Park County, Montana, where cities have become isolated and surrounded by water, an update on the county Facebook page said.

Part of a home in Gardiner, Montana, is swept away by floodwaters. Steve Rupno

In nearby Carbon County, Montana, utility services lines were compromised by the flooding, leaving many customers in the town of Red Lodge without power and leading officials to issue a water boil advisory, officials said.

Rushing water has left homes damaged or fully swept away, images and videos show. One video shows a multi-story home collapsing into the rushing water and being entirely enveloped by the deluge as the underlying foundation crumbles.

Portions of roads and bridges in Yellowstone National Park were also compromised by flooding, officials said. Videos released by the park show large sections of paved roads completely washed away or drastically eroded.

High water levels in the Gardiner River washed out part of the road in Yellowstone National Park. National Park Service/AP

The park began evacuating people Monday due to road and bridge failures, as well as concerns over forecasts of more rain and potential water and wastewater problems.

Precipitation levels more than 400% above average in the region, combined with near-record temperatures causing snowmelt in areas of high elevation, have inundated rivers and streams to record levels.

The Yellowstone River gauge at Corwin Springs, Montana, reached 13.88 feet Monday afternoon, surpassing the historical high crest of 11.5 feet from 1918, NOAA river gauge data shows.

Fred flooding: 2 dead, 17 missing in North Carolina; tornado warnings

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The remnants of Tropical Storm Fred soaked the Northeast on Thursday as Southern states assessed the damage from severe flooding, which in North Carolina had left two people dead and 17 missing.

Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency as western North Carolina saw intense flooding, with nearly 100 people rescued, after Fred drenched the state as a tropical depression earlier in the week.

Cooper planned to survey flood damage later Thursday afternoon. U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis toured the area earlier in the day.

The storm that blew through the area Tuesday made roads impassible, washed out bridges and swamped homes and businesses.

Meanwhile, the remnants of Fred were forecast to bring up to 5 inches of rain from New York State across New England on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. Flash flood watches were in effect for much of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and parts of Maine.

The weather service also warned a tornado was possible, and tornado warnings were issued across several New York and New England counties Thursday.

In North Carolina and West Virginia, power had largely been restored after about 37,000 customers were without electricity Wednesday, according to the utility tracker poweroutage.us. But about 17,000 customers in Pennsylvania and New York didn't have power as of Thursday afternoon, the tracker reported.

Monday and Tuesday marked the heaviest two-day rainfall in more than 50 years in Buncombe County, which includes Asheville, and neighboring Haywood County endured the worst of the storm, Cooper said in a news conference Wednesday.

More from North Carolina:Tropical Depression Fred prompts state of emergency, with 35 missing in Haywood County

The number of people unaccounted for in Haywood County since the start of Tropical Depression Fred has gone from 20 to 17 as of late Thursday, said Allison Richmond, Haywood County Emergency Services spokeswoman.

Richmond also confirmed the two fatalities and said officials were still working with the medical examiner on identifications.

Damage to roadways and bridges was significant, with at least 10 to 15 bridges damaged or destroyed, she said. About 200 search and rescue personnel were going home to home along the Pigeon River.

“We have homes that are completely destroyed and off their foundations,” Sheriff Greg Christopher said. “Mobile homes that were moved, and mobile home parks that I would call completely destroyed.”

Haywood County Board of Commissioners Chair Kevin Ensley said damage done to structures as a result of the storm totals about $300 million in the small Haywood unincorporated community of Cruso, which is considered the hardest hit by Fred. Ensley said 225 structures, including homes, were destroyed.

Ronnie Hannah, who has lived on Cruso Road for 74 years, had his chain-link fence ripped from the ground and his lawn destroyed in the storm.

"I’ve never seen anything this devastating,” Hannah said of the damage to the community. “I get depressed. I come out here and sit down and just think of what it looked like."

Jessica Vecchio, her two sons, two dogs and five cats slept in an SUV after their apartment was destroyed by flooding on Tuesday. “We we’re just putting stuff in bags that we could, trying to save what we could,” she said.

In Buncombe County, there were about 70 water rescues, and 911 call centers fielded double the typical volume of calls in a 24-hour period, spokesperson Lillian Govus said.

The storm caused rockslides and downed trees, including on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The popular national park, which winds directly through Asheville, was almost completely closed in western North Carolina during the peak of the storm Tuesday, said spokesperson Leesa Brandon. Much has been cleared since, but the most of the main corridor through Asheville remained closed Wednesday, Brandon added.

Videos shared on social media also showed a river in the Pisgah National Forest with waters raging as river levels rose from the rainfall.

“What really caught us by surprise was how quickly the water rose, the tremendous amount and intensity of it,” said Zeb Smathers, mayor of the town of Canton, where water rescues also were needed.

Hurricane and COVID-19:Here's what you need to protect yourself.

Fred has been blamed for at least one other death after a driver hydroplaned and flipped into a ditch near Panama City, Florida.

The storm roared ashore Monday near Cape San Blas in the Florida Panhandle as a tropical storm. Fred flooded streets, knocked down power lines and trees and destroyed houses, mobile homes and other buildings across the South during its march north.

The storm caused more than a dozen tornadoes in Georgia and the Carolinas, according to the National Weather Service.

Two other storms, Tropical Storm Grace and Tropical Storm Henri, were active in the Atlantic Basin on Thursday. Grace made landfall in Mexico as a hurricane on Thursday, and Henri could be a threat to the Northeast and New England early next week.

Contributing: Karen Chávez, Asheville Citizen Times; Doyle Rice, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

Yellowstone Park flooding: Parts may reopen to tourists on Monday ...

(CNN) Yellowstone National Park could partially reopen as early as Monday as officials continue to assess the damage caused by historic flooding , which now threatens to hamper the peak of the summer tourist season.

Heavy rains and rapid snowmelt caused rivers to swallow bridges, sweep away entire sections of roadway and forced the evacuation of more than 10,000 visitors. The sudden closure has fueled concerns from business owners and employees in surrounding communities who rely on Yellowstone visitors as a key source of revenue.

The park's northern region, which bore the brunt of the flood damage, is expected to be closed for a "substantial length of time," which will likely go through the end of the season, the park said in a release Tuesday.

The less-impacted southern loop could reopen as early as Monday, Park Superintendent Cam Sholly told residents and tourists in Cody, Wyoming, on Wednesday, according to the Casper Star-Tribune

But while the southern loop reopening may provide relief to some tourism industry workers, those bordering the northern entrance are still left to wait.

A North Entrance road in Yellowstone National Park was inundated with water.

In the south Montana city of Gardiner, which acts as a gateway into Yellowstone's northern entrance, hotel owners are already feeling the impact.

"There's nobody here," Keri Huesing, owner of Yellowstone Gateway Inn, told CNN. "We were booked solid for a year."

Now, she says, all but one of her visitors are gone, following the flooding, and one neighboring hotel has shut down completely and sent its employees home.

"It's a Yellowstone town, and it lives and dies by tourism," Park County Commissioner Bill Berg said of Gardiner.

In Cody, which lies east of the park, tourism industry workers were eager for answers from Sholly on the southern loop reopening, the Casper Star-Tribune reported. Sholly hopes gateway communities and park staff can determine how to sustain local businesses without attracting more visitors than the park can host, the paper reported.

The dangerous flooding fueled by heavy rainfall and snowmelt began to inundate the park and several surrounding communities Monday, overtaking essential roadways and bridges, and making it dangerous or impossible for some people to evacuate.

As some communities became completely surrounded by water, at times without power or drinking water, search and rescue teams worked to evacuate residents. The Montana National Guard this week carried out 87 rescues by helicopter, it said Wednesday on Facebook.

In Montana's Park County, which includes Gardiner, water has been receding, and access to the communities that had been surrounded by floodwater has been restored for emergency vehicles at a minimum, Greg Coleman, the county's emergency services manager, said Wednesday morning.

President Joe Biden on Thursday approved a disaster declaration for Montana in areas affected by flooding. "Federal funding is available to State, tribal, eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storm and flooding in the counties of Carbon, Park, and Stillwater," the declaration states.

Park temporarily closed as locals try to recover

All five entrances to Yellowstone will remain closed through at least the weekend, the park said in a release Tuesday , and the northern roads of the park will likely be closed for an extended period due to "severely damaged, impacted infrastructure."

The battering floodwaters wiped away entire segments of paved road near the northern entrance, downed trees and triggered multiple mudslides.

Communities surrounding Yellowstone are also reeling from the catastrophic damage. Quickly moving waters compromised several roads and bridges, submerged cars, and even swept away homes as the underlying foundations became completely worn away.

Micah Hoffman uses a pump to remove water from his basement in Rod Lodge, Montana.

In Park County, at least two homes collapsed into the intruding Yellowstone River early this week, and numerous homes and businesses were flooded, said Coleman, the county emergency official.

Video from witnesses showed one building in Gardiner collapsing into the river on Monday. Gardiner was isolated by water Monday and into Tuesday as flooding rendered roads and bridges impassable.

Aerial video captured by CNN shows one Montana home hanging precariously over the edge of a severely eroded embankment. Photos of the aftermath in the city of Red Lodge, Montana, on Tuesday, show several streets piled with rocks and debris as water still runs over the sidewalks.

The flooding in Red Lodge, Montana left the roads covered in rocks and debris.

Region braces for more potential flooding

The record flooding was caused by a combination of heavy rainfall and snowmelt from high elevations over the weekend in the Beartooth and Absaroka mountain ranges, which stretch across the Montana-Wyoming state line.

The level of runoff is comparable to the region receiving two to three times a normal June's precipitation in only three days, according to CNN meteorologists.

flood wave moved east Tuesday and Wednesday along the Yellowstone River, the National Weather Service said, leading to reports of major flooding in Billings, which is about a 175-mile drive east of Gardiner. By Tuesday afternoon, the river at Billings had surged well above its previous record of 15 feet, according to the weather service.

The flooding prompted city officials to shut down the city water plant late Tuesday night, the city's public works department said.

The plant resumed operations at a low level Wednesday afternoon, and by Thursday morning it was working at full capacity, city officials said.

Even as water levels began to recede in areas on Tuesday and Wednesday, park officials and residents in the region are bracing for the possibility of more flooding in the coming days.

More snow could soon melt in the mountains of Wyoming and Montana, and that, coupled with more rain this weekend, could cause river levels to rise again, the National Weather Service's office in Billings said.

Warm air is expected to move over the mountains Thursday night, keeping the low temperatures above freezing. This, along with plenty of sunshine during the day, should get snow melting. "Temperatures will be in the 50s and 60s in the high country both Friday and Saturday afternoon," the weather service said.

"Expect a few days of melting of what is still a substantial snowpack in the mountains."

Showers and thunderstorms are expected to hit the area Saturday night and Sunday.

The weather service's latest river forecasts predict substantial rises due to the melt. Still, the levels are predicted to be well under flood stage, because the rainfall amounts look very light. River projections show this new rise in water peaking over the weekend around Yellowstone and in Billings on Monday.

"By the time slightly more substantial precipitation arrives Sunday night into Monday, temperatures drop into the 30s, and snow is probable above 8,500 feet Sunday night," the weather service said.

"That said, those with interests near waterways in the western foothills should pay attention to the forecasts through the weekend in case the forecast changes significantly," the service added.

The intense rainfall and rapid snow melt already experienced by the park and nearby communities are consistent with projections laid out in a climate assessment report released last year from scientists with the US Geological Survey, Montana State University and the University of Wyoming.

The climate crisis is already driving more annual precipitation and runoff from melting snowpack in the Greater Yellowstone Area, and the trend will continue in the coming years, the report said.

Elizabeth Wolfe
Jason Hanna
Claudia Dominguez