The Burning Man 2023 festival has been making headlines after heavy rainfall at the Nevada desert site left roads unnavigable, causing the festival to issue a no-driving order when rain began on Friday. 

How did this happen? The festival site of Black Rock Desert used to be a lake, and the rain created a muddy mess of the area that made driving as normal an impossibility. The exit from the grounds is a five mile dirt road to the highway.

Around 70,000 people were ordered to stay on-site and conserve food and water for multiple days, although some ignored the order and attempted to drive or walk their way out of the grounds. Since Friday, the area received between three-quarters of an inch to 1.5 inches of rain.

The roads are open: Though the roads were beginning to dry on Saturday, another storm arrived on Sunday, forcing the drying process to begin again. Attendees were finally able to begin leaving on Monday, although a large number opted to stay for the festival's annual burning of the tutelar burning man effigy, originally scheduled for Sunday evening.

One person died over the weekend and The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death. The victim was found on the playa and attempts to revive them were unsuccessful. According to the Sheriff’s office, the cause of death does not appear to be related to the weather.