Avalanche closes East Entrance Road

Massive amounts of sliding, wet snow in Sylvan Pass have forced Yellowstone park officials to close the East Entrance Road until further notice.

A 70-yard wide, 20-30-foot deep field of snow that came down in an avalanche has forced the route through Sylvan to close, the Park Service said in an email sent this evening.

"Extremely hazardous conditions, current debris levels on the road, and ongoing snow slide events make reopening impossible until complete assessments can be made," the agency said.

This May 2 photo provided by the National Park
 Service shows a 15-foot drift on Sylvan Pass.

Yellowstone officials are currently working to get heavy road-clearing equipment to the pass, but the snow slides are expected to continue until nighttime temperatures return to freezing.

The East Entrance road -- which opened for the season on Friday -- has been intermittently open and closed this week thanks to the large amount of shifting snow in Sylvan Pass. Warmer weather and rain have been blamed for the unstable conditions.

The Park Service said forecasts for the pass in coming days call for daytime temperatures in the 50's, which will make the heavy snowpack increasingly unstable

"Weather conditions are being continually monitored by park staff to keep the road open when it is considered safe," the park service said in an email yesterday.

Yellowstone visitors should call the 24-hour park road report (307-344-2117) for the most current conditions and be prepared for conditions that can change quickly.