r/BurningMan • u/Intelligent_Toe_243 • 10h ago
RAIN AGAIN ?
I know it’s like sacrilegious to talk about this. But honestly. How many years in a row is it gonna rain and storm before they decide to just move it off playa. Seriously. Do you enjoy putting in that much work for it to just be nightmare weather all the time now ? I know this is gonna set some people off. Please by all means. Go off. Someone had to say it. 2000, 2007, 2010, 2015, 2023, 2025, 2026. This pattern is becoming more frequent. THE ENVIRONMENT IS CHANGING PEOPLE. CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL. At what point do you have to adapt before people stop wanting to come to this event all together ?
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u/ufotheater 5h ago
The rains will continue until the climate improves
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u/TheBalloonEffect 4h ago
Pretty sure if Climate was absolutely perfect and not all fucked up it would be raining there a whole lot more than it does now
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u/ufotheater 4h ago
I guess I'm just speaking from my own experience, but I was there 7 times in the late 90s - early 2000s and I only remember it raining once
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u/ohhnoodont 3h ago
Not that long ago the entire area was under a giant lake.
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u/ufotheater 2h ago
Coincidentally I spent a few trips camping with Lahontan Korps, a suburb of Gigsville.
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u/Silent_J 10h ago
It barely rained in 2007, and if you are going to count that then you should put 2008 on the list since it rained more that year (though still not much). Of the times I've been it has rained more times than it hasn't
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u/snow-vs-starbuck 9h ago
And it definitely didn't rain in 2015. Cold as shit and I got sandblasted to dolphin smooth skin, but definitely no rain.
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u/FlyingMamMothMan 4h ago
2015 was the year it dropped to freezing temperatures every night, it was awful. Definitely no rain.
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u/DisingenuousTowel 2009 - 2019, 2021 3h ago
I think it rained hard Sunday night.
That could be 2014 though.
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u/-phototrope 3h ago
It was early morning Monday in 2014, my first year. I felt a little discharge of lightning go through me. Very memorable first morning on the playa.
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u/DisingenuousTowel 2009 - 2019, 2021 3h ago
Yes, 2014. That was my wife's first night/morning on playa.
And the FIRST time I decided to say "fuck it" do the rain fly tomorrow.
God damn it...
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u/FortuneGrouchy4701 FuckYeah 9h ago
Not sure if was 2015 or 2014, but yes, they closed the gate for several hours on the day opening. Was raining in the morning.
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u/doctor-yes '10-'24 / Burn.Life 5h ago
2014, Monday morning.
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u/FewWrangler5475 3h ago
Definitely 2014! I'll never forget it cuz it was my second burn and I got in late Sunday and then it started raining shortly after we setup and no one was able to come in for an entire day. The whole city didn't really get built until Weds and it was windy as fuck the rest of the week. 2015 was windy and sunny and cold 😂 mud burn is still my fave though! Such a fun mess that was!!! Loved being "stuck"
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u/PapaTua ◢◤☆◥◣ 9h ago
In 2008 wind was more of the problem. We had multiple 12 hour gale white outs that year and the playa was impassable.
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u/Silent_J 9h ago
Yeah that was the year they had to wait for a break in the storms to burn the man. They cancelled Conclave and burned the man real quick before the dust storms kicked back up again. Good times
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u/Bitter_Currency_6714 5h ago
It rained in 2012 also, I remember because it was my first burn. It wasn’t much but it definitely made things wet overnight.
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u/GreenHairyMartian 10m ago
2007 had just enough rain for the DOIBLE RAINBOW ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE SKY!
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u/Token_Ese 7h ago
Anyway, like I was sayin', fairy shrimp is the fruit of the playa. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, fairy shrimp-kabobs, fairy shrimp creole, fairy shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple fairy shrimp, lemon fairy shrimp, coconut fairy shrimp, pepper fairy shrimp, fairy shrimp soup, fairy shrimp stew, fairy shrimp salad, fairy shrimp and potatoes, fairy shrimp burger, fairy shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it.
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u/loquacious 3h ago
You forgot boofin' it.
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u/Token_Ese 2h ago
Oh yeah, sorry.
You can huff it, puff it, snuff it; boof it, goof it, slam it, jam it; micro dose, macro dose; you get something out of ‘ em when you eat ‘em, smell ‘em, taste ‘em, touch ‘em, you can’t get much out of hearing ‘em though.
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u/RealityGrill 10h ago
Don't forget 2014!
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u/upful187 8h ago
Spent 23 hours rain-stopped exactly 101 cars from Gate
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u/Suck_It__Trabek 1h ago
Was there too. When the Rangers shut it down, some Ausies got a brand new generator, speakers, and DJ decks (all opened out of the box) and spun on their RV.
It was glorious!
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u/rynoxmj 9 times to that dusty place. 8h ago
I think OP may have mixed up 14 and 15, I don't remember rain in 15?
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u/snow-vs-starbuck 8h ago
Yeah they mixed them up. There was zero rain in 2015. That was the Freezing Man year.
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u/Nahuel-Huapi 7h ago
2014 was the year someone got struck by lightning, and apparently never shut up about it.
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u/GuyNamedLindsey ‘10, ‘11, ‘12, ‘13, ‘14, ‘27 6h ago
In all fairness I too would not stfu about it.
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u/TheMapesHotel 5h ago
No rain in 15 but the weather was a mess that year too with wind and freezing temps
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u/crumblenoob 8h ago
Watching the rain pelt down from our camp's box truck lounge was an amazing day.
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u/_meestir_ 9h ago
It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great. - Jimmy Dugan
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u/shiwenbin 7h ago
True, but mud burn nearly broke my spirit. I don’t think it’s supposed to be that hard.
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u/sm9k3y 6h ago
I had a great time in 23, and I had just torn my mincus 2 weeks prior, so that extra mud did cause me some pain, but no shows fixed that. And at least there wasn't any dust and I could shower at will, cause I definitely needed it, haha.
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u/milehighclurb 4h ago
Mud Burn was its own purposeful experience for me in real-time, and in hindsight it has become my most rewarding/enjoyable year for me
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u/WayRough7769 7h ago
Ya but did you die???
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u/shiwenbin 6h ago
No, but I did get so sick I had to see an infectious disease specialist. Out of commission for almost a month!
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u/ImDubbinIt 5h ago
That’s the dumbest thing you could say to someone who’s talking about having their spirit broken. Read the room
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u/WayRough7769 5h ago
Haven’t seen the Hangover I assume, it was a joke relax
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u/blonde234 1h ago
Jokes should be funny. Hope that helps in the future although you seemingly have an empathy problem not a comedy problem.
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u/Bibijibzig 8h ago
I heard it’s going to be windy and dusty this year. Should the org consider moving it to a nice consistently flat and non-dusty surface like an asphalt blacktop?
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u/Intelligent_Toe_243 5h ago
Honestly, at this point, YEA LOL. Burning Man has become Coachella for people who think they’re above Coachella. I’m not sure the dust is preserving some sacred countercultural essence anymore,
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u/Help_An_Irishman 9h ago
I'm surprised there hasn't been a hotter year to topple the "Hot Year" in 2022. That was my first and (so far) only burn, so I didn't have a frame of reference, but it seemed to take everyone by surprise how crazy the heat was.
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u/Felonious_Minx 8h ago
Did it get to 118° because I was out there years ago when it was?
Was like swimming through the air just to walk over to your cooler.
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u/Help_An_Irishman 8h ago
Yes! I had a large square cloth scarf thing and dunked it into my icy cooler and wrapped it around my head before biking to my first attempt to find Center Camp to check the Lost and Found and see if my phone had been found (lost it on the first or second night), and I got hopelessly lost and ended up way out on the opposite side of Black Rock City. It was awesome and I had a hell of an adventure, but I was out for most of the day, and that cold wrap probably saved me from passing out.
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u/brylikestrees ZenZoo 23, Foam Home 22 6h ago
Yes, I saw readings of 117-120° under a shade structure in '22. I had a swamp cooler in a shift pod, and woke up with my body in a complete panic. The inside of the tent was a humid 90° and the dry heat outside just felt like an oven. Cooling off was a whole operation and I felt like ass for a whole day where I couldn't get enough electrolytes and liquid into my body to keep up with how much I had lost and was continuing to sweat out.
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u/fucking_unicorn ‘12 ‘13 ‘14 ‘15 ‘16 ‘17 ‘18 ‘19 ‘21 ‘22 3h ago
Think that was 2017! I remember being so hot venturing out simply failed. Turned around and I ended up laying in the shade all day at camp.
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u/IsItBurn 8h ago
That was my first year on DPW and at Burn, everyone was talking about the heat! Weirdly enough it didn’t really bother me all that much and I kinda sorta enjoyed that and the wild whiteouts we got that year. Sitting on top of one of our LCs with headphones and goggles on, just soaking up that dusty madness and getting exfoliated will always be a fond memory.
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u/myfakename23 '17, '18, '19, '22, '23, '24, '25 6h ago
2017 (my first year) was a sneak preview of that. Multiple builders from my camp got to visit Rampart because of heat exhaustion.
Drink water and take electrolytes, hippies! Try not to do maximum build during peak sun! Nights are your friend!
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u/crevassier 9h ago
What's wrong with rain during Burning Man? If you want perfect weather go visit San Diego.
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u/LoudRevolution9163 9h ago
I thought the forecast was supposed to be good this week. Did it rain or is it going to?
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u/WayRough7769 10h ago
Sounds like burning man isn’t for you anymore.
Stay home and work on climate change
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u/myfakename23 '17, '18, '19, '22, '23, '24, '25 9h ago
Do you enjoy putting in that much work for it to just be nightmare weather all the time now ?
If I wanted to go to Electric Daisy Carnival, or Las Vegas, I know where those places and events are.
Heck, I can attend all kinds of regionals where the local environment is not trying to actively kill me.
"But the environment in the Black Rock Desert is harsh-" whooosh, the point just went past you, if you hurry you might catch up.
At what point do you have to adapt before people stop wanting to come to this event all together ?
Why is it a big deal if nobody actually wants to show up, as long as you aren't The Org™ trying to make a buck so you don't financially collapse?
(While I don't actively dislike The Org™ the fact that they have Numbers™ to hit is not my fucking problem. If the event and culture has to change because we've hit Peak Attendance already and now that's in the rear view mirror, then let it change. Think Fourth of Juplaya or Rogue Burns.)
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u/PrimeIntellect 3h ago
Extreme weather is like half the point, not eating molly with influencers on art cars
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u/PizzaWall 8h ago edited 8h ago
Oh newbies, you’re so cute when you run around freaking out about a little rain, like it’s never happened in the history of Black Rock Desert.
First off, a little rain controls the dust that every one of you creates. Driving in, walking around, you break free dried mud which becomes airborne in wind. Rain helps control that dust.
What you may not realize It always rains in Northern Nevada in September. when the event happens in August, you miss most of it. But if you are on Playa after Labor Day, you can expect rainstorms. If it rains enough and the Quinn River floods the play and temporarily recreates Lake Lahontan, it helps make the plays surface hard and relatively dust-free. It’s the years where Lake Lahontan does not appear are the dusty ones.
Currently, rain is coming in from the west coast from weather disturbances from Hurricane Karina and soon from Tropical Storm Marie. In the Gulf of Mexico, Tropical Storm Edouard is coming ashore in Texas and could head on its current track towards the event. That’s less likely, but still on the horizon to shake up weather in the Western United States.
This is why the survival guide suggests to prepare for rain, high winds and other factors from incomng weather events.
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u/cosmic_sheriff Practice Sustainable Jackassery 6h ago
Snow during resto is magic.
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u/PizzaWall 6h ago
Stop gloating!
I have stopped by Gerlach a few times after the event and enjoyed the atmosphere, enjoyed the Black Rock Saloon, Miners Club and obviously Brunos. What I really enjoyed was the people sticking it through to the end. Its a sense of community that disappears once build week starts and slowly emerges after the event ends.
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u/Parasitoid 10h ago
I hope it rains everyday
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u/shiwenbin 7h ago
You did not attend mud burn!
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u/DisingenuousTowel 2009 - 2019, 2021 3h ago
I have plenty of friends who loved mudman
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u/shiwenbin 2h ago
Yeah I’ve heard both sides. Some people best burn ever. Others, enough to close down a camp that had been coming since the 90s (RIP leopard lounge). Stoked for the people who had a great time wish I was w them!
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u/shiwenbin 2h ago
Yeah I’ve heard both sides. Some people best burn ever. Others, enough to close down a camp that had been coming since the 90s (RIP leopard lounge). Stoked for the people who had a great time wish I was w them!
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u/FlatImpression755 8h ago
If someone is complaining about the weather this year they are a fucking cry baby. It's been about perfect. If anything a little hotter even would be nice.
Is there another sub for actual burners that are going to cry in their corn flakes 5 times a day on reddit.
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u/xSPACEWEEDx STDprovider 7h ago
The people downvoting you crack me up. I hope all the soft people move on from this and do something else.
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u/tsuni95 10h ago
I mean, not knowing how to deal with rain and trying not to flee the playa seems like a bit of a skill issue. 🫣 I’m more concerned about heat-related illnesses rather than rain; heat is a bit more difficult to adapt to than shelter/party in place.
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u/shiwenbin 7h ago
Tell that to the literally 20+ big stwong twux that were abandoned in the mud trying to escape the 2023 burn (after BIRN clearly stated all it would do is make things worse for everyone else). Every single one of them thought, “oh but MY big strong truck is big and strong enough to escape” and theeeen it ended up in big stwong twuck graveyard and their “skilled” drivers had to ask their neighbors for help, tails between their legs.
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u/Pack_Your_Trash 8h ago
Rain is the best thing for burning man. It scares off the live streaming Instagram sparkle ponies. Let them serve as a warning to others.
Also, get off your fucking phone.
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u/thelaceserpent I'm a sparkle pony! 7h ago
2014 was my first year, and I for some reason thought it a good idea to bring galoshes. I still got stuck in the mud, but my feet’s were dry :3
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u/timshel42 The media sure loves the orgy angle 7h ago
I hope they move it not because of weather, but to private property so there arent a million cops watching and waiting for you to slip up. Blm land sucks.
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u/cyanescens_burn 3h ago
I bet Nevada would make a law requiring X number of LEO per attendee at events over Y people if they moved out. On top of the state adding new taxes or permits of some kind.
I could see LEO agencies getting salty about the loss of funds and going super hard on pull overs and searches on the way up to increase income from fines.
Things might take a while to reach some kind of equilibrium again, but I can’t help but think it’d be a whole big thing if they suddenly stopped getting their cut.
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u/arabic_lawrence 6h ago
The amount of rain in 2007 was negligible but the double rainbow was nice. I was on playa in 2010 for 10-11 days and never saw any rain at all. Perfect weather as I recall.
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u/widelegstance 3h ago
The only time I went, 2010 it rained early in the week, enough so the gate was shut down for 6 hrs.
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u/starkraver radical banality 9h ago
Have to adapt what? The date? The location? What are you talking about?
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u/neon_nebulas 8h ago
I mean we should really consider the impact of burning huge structures in the middle of highly impacted land during fire season but you don’t see anyone blinking an eye to change that too.
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u/cyanescens_burn 3h ago
They’ve cut down the number of pieces burned each year quite a bit it seems. Last year I can’t think of anything that burned besides the man and temple. Compared to those years they did the core burns with structures from different regions and then some other random stuff.
Also, it’s miles from the center of BRC to the shoreline where vegetation is.
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u/NoAwareness62 4h ago
I know it’s organized to fall around Labor day Weekend but maybe we should move it up a week or two into August…
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u/Blestfromthewest 2h ago
Que llueva, que llueva
La Virgen de la Cueva
Los pajaritos cantan,
Las nubes se levantan.
¡Que sí, que no,
que caiga un tormenton⛈️
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u/calisnark 8h ago
Aren't there a substantial amount of attendees that are in such altered states they are almost oblivious to weather?
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u/cyanescens_burn 3h ago
Since like ‘10 I’ve only heard two or three stories of a person or small group that spent their entire burn in their tent or rv because they couldn’t step away from compulsive use.
Anyone goes out of their tent or RV will be faced with the reality of the environment.
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u/Augii Do we really need a theme? 10h ago
The climate has changed. Sierra backpackers and climbers have known this. Late summer Arizona monsoonal weather patterns have been creeping north for a while now