High Winds in Black Rock City Friday Night and Saturday

Playa Tornado, 2006 (Photo by Bowen Johnson)

Playa Tornado, 2006 (Photo by Bowen Johnson)

Nope, never a dull moment here in Black Rock City. The weather report tells us to expect sustained high winds beginning midnight tonight (Friday), peaking 10 a.m. Saturday morning, and continuing through 6 p.m. Saturday evening.

Winds are expected to gust up to 45 mph. Right, so what does that mean to you? Get ready and batten your stuff down! Like:

  • Batten down everything that could potentially blow away (furniture, camp chairs, folding tables, tents, shade structures, etc.)
  • Secure art pieces
  • Always travel with goggles and a dust mask
  • Use headlights and prepare to stop driving/riding in a whiteout

If you’re planning to come in tonight (Friday), definitely try to arrive before midnight.

If you’re planning to arrive on Saturday, consider postponing your arrival until later Saturday afternoon or evening. The way these things tend to go, your camp construction might be delayed due to the wind.

Keep an eye on the Voices of Burning Man blog, Facebook, Twitter, BMIR and IHeartRadio, cuz that’s where we’ll keep you updated.

About the author: Burning Man Project

Burning Man Project

The official voice of the Burning Man organization, managed by Burning Man Project's Communications Team.

7 Comments on “High Winds in Black Rock City Friday Night and Saturday

  • Brian weatherhead says:

    We have been sitting in early entry line since 5:30pm and it’s a crawl. No real useful information on BMIR or Gate Info as to why. Seems like you would want to get everyone inside and parked before the storm.

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  • Phounsoun says:

    ยินดีต้อนธับกับบ้าน และ คอบควออละเวง 5555ข้อยว่าบ่อมีพวกท่านกะเหงาคืกันใดเนาะ บ่อมีคนหาหยังให้เบี่ง ให้ฟังขาดสาละตั้งหลายย่าง จังใดกะยินดี ต้อนรับ และขอโทดที่เธัดให้เดือดธ้อน

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  • Majesty says:

    It’s not )'( without a whiteout.

    Whoever’s doing the Live Stream, kudos. Nice that they’ve moved from the autoscan to zooming in on some of the art, camps & neighborhoods. Missing home.

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  • Black Rocker says:

    It is a total wipe out and unsafe here now take cover it will only get worse

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  • Foxwalker says:

    I got off the pavement at 11:30 pm Friday night and arrived at my camp at 5 am. Was unaware of this forecast and slept on a couch outside till 9 am, getting covered in dust. Good times!

    BTW, what’s with shift changes at gate stopping the line for over an hour? Does it really take that long for a shift change?

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  • Randy Greer says:

    I arrived before midnight on Friday. When getting gas in Wadsworth, a women mentioned the windstorm coming. I asked my greeter about the wind coming & he said he had not heard anything about it. My radio was not working, so listening to BMIR was not possible & my phone could not get internet. The wind was calm at that time. I made the mistake of unpacking my trailer & truck. Most everything ( including my tents ) was on the ground when I took a nap in my truck.

    That was my biggest mistake. I woke up to my truck being shaken by the wind.
    By the time the wind stopped Saturday, a lot of my gear was covered / buried in sand & dust.

    It ended up being my dustiest time at Burning Man ever in four burns from the sand dunes up to a foot deep on all side of my camp. As the wind blew off & on through the following Friday, my campsite was continually blasted from what was built up all around.

    I learned a valuable lesson this burn. Always know what the weather is supposed to be. Set up your tent or yurt first when bad weather is coming so you have a place to
    put items inside of that you do not want getting trashed by the wind. Anything you place on the ground will turn into sand dunes with the wind as strong as it was Saturday pre event.

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