Visitors to Nevada’s desert for the annual festival have already encountered heavy winds and dust storms
Visitors arriving in Nevada’s desert for this year’s Burning Man festival have so far encountered heavy winds and dust storms, and could be in for thunderstorms as well, with the harsh conditions possibly persisting for several days.
The famous gathering began Sunday in the Black Rock Desert, roughly 100 miles (160km) north of Reno. Strong winds and dust storms disrupted the event over the weekend, temporarily pausing activities, tearing through tents and reducing visibility to nearly nothing.
It was confirmed that at least one major art installation was destroyed in the storm: an 8-ton inflatable thundercloud known as “Black Cloud” reportedly held together for 15 minutes before being ripped apart by winds. The piece, created by a Ukrainian-led team, was meant to symbolize the “specter of world war”.
By Monday, organizers confirmed that both the festival gates and the Black Rock City airport had reopened, allowing the event to resume as scheduled.
