2014 wasn't hot or dusty

[PermaBurgin]

I attended last year, 2014, for the first time. It was not nearly as hot or dusty as I was led to believe. My theory is that the rain packed down the dust and evaporated into the air during the vent, helping keep cool. My other theory is that, like most other warnings I had received, these warnings were exaggerated. Can any long-time burners add some insight? Was 2014 cooler.less dusty than years previous?

[gaminwench]

Yes. It was.

We've had years where the whiteouts lasted several hours or several days.
We've had years with winds in the 50/60 mph range for extended periods.
We've had years where temps were triple digit every day.
We've had years with freezing temps at night.

People are NOT exaggerating, they want you to be prepared.
It is impossible to predict, of course.
Consider yourself fortunate, and don't count on it happening again.

[PermaBurgin]

Yeah I never did encounter a white out, or even wear my goggles at all.

[LowePro]

Yeah, 2014 was downright pleasant, except the rain early in the week. 2012 was much hotter, 12 and 13 were windier and dustier in my experience. But 2014 was the wettest year for me! Each year I've been (since 2012) seems to bring another weather phenomenon, so the warnings are real and best to be ready for them. Just because something worked one year does not mean it will work the next year.

[Eric]

My other theory is that, like most other warnings I had received, these warnings were exaggerated.

Last year is the first time in the history of the event that it's been closed due to rain for an extended period (short periods, yes, for a day? Never). There is no exaggeration in the warnings, you never ever know what you're going to be hit with.

Hell, the 3:00 side can be blasted with an hours-long white-out while the 9:00 side is fine (and looking across at a wall of dust). Be prepared for any weather, because almost any weather can happen. Probably not snow, but, as gaminwench said, it has gotten below freezing at night out there, and that is bone-chilling if you're not prepared. Hell, I've been going for a decade & don't doubt that Condition Alpha can occur. Just because I haven't experienced it doesn't make it an exaggeration, it just makes it something I need to be aware of in the back of my head so I can avoid dying of stupidity on my part.

Thinking that warnings that are constantly repeated by multiple people and sources are exaggerations just because they didn't occur the one time you personally attended sets you up to be one of those people when one of those things occurs. The fact that you're reading ePlaya and asking questions in Feb means you probably won't be. That's a good thing.

[digital]

The rain was awesome. However, because if it the week after was virtually dust-free. The rain provided natural dust prevention. This is not usual. Be prepared for the worst. Hope for the best. People are not exaggerating when they say it can be horrendous out there.

By the way, what were you doing day of burn? That was our big work day and it was miserable on playa. Almost a full day of whiteout conditions.

[Bless]

I got caught in a wicked whiteout soon after Embrace burned.

[Savannah]

[media]

[maladroit]

You plan for the worst case, not the average case. That's the real target of the self-sufficiency principle...no, you don't have to remain isolated from everyone, but you do need to have a plan to survive the worst the playa can throw at you. For example...if the wind is about to take your tent away, you should know where to cut or break things so that it can be collapsed flat and hopefully repaired later...but more importantly not sail off and hurt others. Be ready to slash your monkeyhut tarp to ribbons, be ready to get stuck on the playa an extra four days, etc.

[AntiM]

Open playa, 2014. There was dust. Not much in camp though. We barely turned on our swamp coolers, except for one or two afternoons.

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[VultureChow]

Granted I've only been three years, but there has never been a year I didn't need goggles at least once. And 2012, I FROZE at night.

That said, you don't need to go NUTS to prepare for the worst. Get a good pair of long underwear for a base layer in case of cold weather. Think about the food and water you had left over at the end of the week? Was it enough to last you another 2-3 days if you had to? If not, pack an extra few bottles of water and cans of tuna or whatever. You're already bringing trash bags, have a few extra in case you're pooping in bags for 2 days. The only thing I'd add to my normal packing list, frankly, is a pack of cards and maybe a paperback. Something to pass the time.

You don't need to be a Blizzard Hog. They type that runs to the store and buys all the milk and bread and eggs for a few inches of snow. Most of us could live out of our pantry for a few days without a problem.

[trilobyte]

Yes, as you might imagine rain does a great job of reducing the temperatures and amount of loose blowing dust. It's weather... it varies. Some years are hotter than others, some years wetter than others, some years windier and colder, and.. you get the idea. How unbearable or how comfortable it is depends upon your level of preparedness. I love what maladroit said "you plan for the worst case, not the average one" - so true.

[digital]

Hell-of-a-day to work.

(Plan for these conditions all week and you can't go wrong.)

[FlyingMonkey]

It's not exaggerated, we were just lucky. Check out the blog posts the week prior to the event. Strong winds tipped over a trailer. There's some good pics of that.

For the record I would rather have both heat & dust than rain. Luckily no one got killed by the lightning this year.

Just by playing the odds I think we are due for epic dust in the next few years. I just hope the rather tame weather of the last few years doesn't lull people in to a false sense of security leading them to show up unprepared.

I always like to prepare for 70+ MPH winds & whiteouts lasting days & then hope for something a "little" milder.

[pink]

I got stuck in a pretty nasty dust storm on open playa last year. Had to take cover in an generator/solar structure for an art piece. 0% visibility. But really wasn't any dust in camp.

[maladroit]

Good point, the storms can be localized. Even in the past few years, I've seen massive dust devils plow through the city. While 90% of burners may have had a quiet year, a few had all the dust and wind they could handle. So it's not a good idea to trust the accounts of only a few people who had mild experiences.

[dragonpilot]

2007...dust storm white out started about 10:30 AM. didn't ease up until about 8:00 PM...was fairly dusty all week...be a Boy Scout and Be Prepared!

[skibear]

So I'm looking at Accuweather for BRC/Gerlach,NV
They say EXCELLENT weather for fishing ! WTF Where's the water?
what drugs are these guys on
Raver fishing, maybe.

[Thecatman]

I remember 2007 being terrible like dragonpilot mentioned and the youtube Savannah posted.
My burgin year was 2002 and we arrived Friday night. Saturday and Sunday were great.

[mooserider]

It's not exaggerated, we were just lucky. Check out the blog posts the week prior to the event. Strong winds tipped over a trailer. There's some good pics of that.
--SNIP--
I always like to prepare for 70+ MPH winds & whiteouts lasting days & then hope for something a "little" milder.

Eek! Should I stake down my RV when I get there? Considering that the RV has the aerodynamics of a barn door (flat sides 12 feet high), I really wouldn't want to have it blow over. The leveling jacks do seem to be awful close to the centerline; I think I'll make sure the tires are solidly on the ground to widen the wheelbase.

[Zubeneschamali]

We have a whole new generation who have experienced the best playa conditions and haven't had a proper dusting. We haven't seen a major playa storm in several years and I get the same thing from our camp newbies - seems like a waste of resources to go thru all this preparation for something that never happens.

I could wax poetic about the past and fondly recall the olden years. But its got nothing to do with today and I'd probably sound like a douche. I'll share that I personally don't leave camp - even for a porta run - without a daypack that contains goggles, water, and dust mask. Common areas are staked and ratcheted. If any newbie brings in portable shade they are required to follow the staking program.

RV's got enough weight and while they have high walls the center of gravity has them well grounded so that tipping over would be a rare event. If that was the case it would be a catastrophic event and RV's would be laying on their sides like dominos. Everything else would be gone.

[Fan C]

We have a whole new generation who have experienced the best playa conditions and haven't had a proper dusting. We haven't seen a major playa storm in several years and I get the same thing from our camp newbies - seems like a waste of resources to go thru all this preparation for something that never happens.

I could wax poetic about the past and fondly recall the olden years. But its got nothing to do with today and I'd probably sound like a douche. I'll share that I personally don't leave camp - even for a porta run - without a daypack that contains goggles, water, and dust mask. Common areas are staked and ratcheted. If any newbie brings in portable shade they are required to follow the staking program.

RV's got enough weight and while they have high walls the center of gravity has them well grounded so that tipping over would be a rare event. If that was the case it would be a catastrophic event and RV's would be laying on their sides like dominos. Everything else would be gone.

Plus that entire time of great weather has been shared all over facebook. In the entire time of facebook/twitter/instagram it's been nothing but pic's of beautifull people and clear blue skies. It's no surprise 150,000 want to go.

[skippy3k]

Heh, heh, heh <visualize the rubbing together of hands in an evil villain sort of way>

[robbidobbs]

We have a whole new generation who have experienced the best playa conditions and haven't had a proper dusting. We haven't seen a major playa storm in several years and I get the same thing from our camp newbies - seems like a waste of resources to go thru all this preparation for something that never happens.

I could wax poetic about the past and fondly recall the olden years. But its got nothing to do with today and I'd probably sound like a douche. I'll share that I personally don't leave camp - even for a porta run - without a daypack that contains goggles, water, and dust mask.

Very true Zube!
My first year was 99 too, arrived in the middle of a two day 70mph dirt storm that had already been going on for a day. It was like the apocalypse, destruction everywhere, and the event had only just begun. Because of that introduction, I come prepared for whatever.
Tips: 2.5 yards of muslin on you as often as possible, 1 yard at all times. Incredibly useful stuff.
crocs for Mudpocylips. Best for getting on, off and cleaned quickly.
We're not kidding about keeping water on you always. You never know when you're hiding under a huge truck for a spell.
Ditto on goggles. It doesn't matter that it's clear now, dirt storms will sneak up on you, then your blind (under that truck).
People are delightfully generous in times of need, but don't be a burden.

Finally: invest in a small compass to keep on you. I learned that lesson last year the hard way.

[Soapdish85]

Blinding dust and triple digit temps, sounds like a beautiful spring day here in phoenix.

[pretty_monster]

Blinding dust and triple digit temps, sounds like a beautiful spring day here in phoenix.

right?! by time the burn hits, i've been sweaty and dusty for so long it's like *shurg* and you don't have to wear pants on the playa AND people give you free booze. BRC > PHX.

[barca]

On The Weather Channel, which city should I look at to have an idea of how is weather on the playa? Gerlach?

[Savannah]

On The Weather Channel, which city should I look at to have an idea of how is weather on the playa? Gerlach?

Yes, at least in terms of approximate temperature (a range of 50F-90F is most common that week of the year, but I have felt it be as cold as the upper 30's, and as hot as 113F).

Note: The Weather Channel probably won't adequately reflect the Wind Experience, or the thickness/depth of the dust.

[[jim]]

On The Weather Channel, which city should I look at to have an idea of how is weather on the playa? Gerlach?

for real-time info, take a look at the Gerlach Web Cam. The city will be out on the playa, (I think) somewhere in the distance between the tallest tree (on the left of the image) and the TV aerial (near the middle of the image). Sometimes there are time-lapse movies made; I usually find the links to the movies posted on eplaya.

I also use the US National weather service's 'point forecast' to see Black Rock City 7-day forecast. You can click on the map graphic on the right side of the page (scroll down) if you'd like to move the forecast point to somewhere else on the playa (or somewhere else in the USA, for that matter).

[Bless]