Burning Man Attendees Told To Conserve Food, Water Amid Shelter-In-Place Order

More than 70,000 attendees of the Burning Man festival have been asked to "conserve food and water" and to shelter in place as rain closed down roads and rendered the festival ground impassable.

The event, held annually in the Black Rock Desert about 100 miles from Reno, focuses on art, community and self-reliance. Festival goers are expected to provide their own sustenance for the duration of the festival.

And seesawing weather conditions are part and partial of the experience.

“Weather on the playa is often violent and unpredictable. Dust storms, high winds, freezing temperatures, rain, we get it all out there,” reads the Burning Man website. 

While this year's festival (which started on Aug. 27 and wraps this coming Tuesday) is beset by rain, festival goers last year had to contend with over 100-degree heat.

What we know about the conditions

As the rain came down on Friday, organizers took to social media to warn attendees to stay in their camps.

The order remains as of Saturday morning.

The forecast

Burning Man is held in the desert at what's known as Black Rock City.

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Courtesy NWS

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“Conditions are very muddy,” said Mark Deutschendorf, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Reno. “It rained very steady yesterday, starting in the afternoon and into the night.”

Lighter rain is expected for the rest of the day, with an increased chance of heavier and steadier rain this evening into Sunday morning.

Rain should leave the area by Monday.

However, Deutschendorf said “it’s going to be cool, so it’ll take a while to dry out."

Scenes from the 'mud fest'

Festival attendees have posted images of very soggy conditions, with rutted mud where cars have tried to drive.