A Burning Man festival-goer, who is on the ground getting set-up for the hedonistic music event, which kicks off on Sunday, says revelers are seeing treacherous weather conditions.
Angie Peacock, who is attending Burning Man for the second time this year, shared exclusively with The Mirror US that setting up their tents at this year's event is proving to be "very intense work" and everyone is "working their butts off" due to the stormy weather conditions.
She described the conditions as "whiteout", as strong winds are severely reducing revelers' visibility. Angie explained: "I haven't seen any tents blowing away yet but people are having a difficult time setting up in the wind.
"You can only see about 100ft in front of you when driving."
The National Weather Service told The Mirror US: "We have gusty winds ongoing on the playa after last night's cold frontal passage. Gusts have generally been in the 30-40 mph range today and blowing dust is ongoing along the playa."
A satellite screen shot from today, provided by the meteorologists, shows "a visualization of areas of blowing dust in yellow along and downwind of the playa".
Burning Man organizers are no doubt hoping that the weather doesn't get worse after the dangerous conditions that beset the week-long music event last year.
Last year's weather was so treacherous that many revelers, including celebrities Chris Rock and Diplo , attempting to flee the festival as dangerous thunderstorms wreaked havoc.
Speaking to The Mirror US last year, Angie shared how festival-goers were being ordered to ration food and were prohibited from showering.
She said at the time: "Our camp is rationing food and water and there are no more showers - just wash your hands and brush your teeth - that's about it because we don't know how long we're going to be here."
Angie added: "We're rationing food, we're being smart, we're conserving fuel because we know we have to wait it out and it's bringing everyone closer together."
For the first time in over a decade, perhaps due to last year's terrifying weather conditions, Burning Man failed to sell out this year.
In past years, Burning Man tickets have all sold out in the months leading up to the festival, however, this year ticket sales faced a major slump.
But PR expert Ryan McCormick thinks that the determination of some fans to still make it to Burning Man, is something positive for organizers can cling on to.
He told The Mirror US : "I wouldn't say that one non-sellout implies that the annual event is on the decline. Plenty of individuals are passionate about it.
"Some social media accounts are showing 9-hour long traffic jams to get to Burning Man. That is a very positive sign."
But while he believes all is not lost, Ryan does think the grim weather may be having a direct hit on ticket sales.
He reasoned: "At last year's Burning Man, 70,000 people were trapped in foot deep mud with no toilets resulting from an unexpected storm. Some of those attending individuals may now see the event in a different light."
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