The superintendent of Yellowstone National Park stated that record flooding and rockslides caused by a burst of torrential rainfall led to the closing of all five entrances to the park on the first day of the summer tourist season on Monday.

At least through Wednesday, the entire park, which spans portions of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, will be closed to visitors, including those with lodging and camping reservations, as officials assess damage to roads, bridges, and other facilities.

Since a series of deadly wildfires in 1988, all five park entrances were blocked to incoming traffic for the first summer. Officials reported that the National Park Service was attempting to reach visitors and personnel in various locations, particularly along the northern flank of Yellowstone, which was severely damaged.

Cam Sholly, the park superintendent, said in a statement, "Our first priority has been to evacuate the northern section of the park where we have multiple road and bridge failures, mudslides and other issues,"

According to the National Park Service, the "gateway" city of Gardiner, Montana, just north of the park's northern boundary and home to many Yellowstone employees, has been blocked off by a mudslide.

The park service said that several bridges were also damaged and that power was knocked out in many regions of Yellowstone.

According to the organization, several roads in the park's southern section were on the verge of flooding.

The flooding and landslides were caused by days of torrential downpours in the park and continuous rainfall across much of the more excellent Intermountain West after one of the region's wettest springs in many years. The administration described the downpour and floods that swept through the park as extraordinary.

During the previous three days, a rapid increase in summer temperatures has accelerated the melting and runoff of snow collected in the park's higher altitudes due to late-winter storms.

Two weeks after the customary Memorial Day weekend launch of the U.S. summer tourist season, which accounts for the majority of Yellowstone's 4 million annual visitors, the heavy rains and quick flow of snow melt combined to produce hazardous conditions in the park.