Flooding at Yellowstone National Park sweeps away a bridge and washes out roads
NPR Online NewsDec 30, 2021
The Facts
Following devastating flooding that damaged roads and stranded residents, Yellowstone National Park is expected to partially reopen Wed.
The park's southern loop will be open to a controlled number of visitors and will be managed based on vehicle license plates.
The Spin
Narrative A
Yellowstone's flooding was caused by a super-soaking atmospheric river that began in the American Northwest, catastrophic rainfall, and melting snowpack. However, the real culprit is climate change, which intensifies what should be normal weather events into disasters.
Narrative B
It's easy to dismiss any extreme weather event as a consequence of climate change, but in reality they're usually influenced by a myriad of factors that have nothing to do with it. More research is needed before we can establish any direct causal link between the two.