After heavy rains submerged the festival site in mud, roads out of Burning Man may reopen today for the thousands still trapped there.

Roads out of the Burning Man festival could reopen Monday for the estimated 72,000 people trapped for a third day in the Nevada desert after heavy rains smothered the grounds with ankle-deep mud too thick to drive on.

Roads leading in and out of the Black Rock Desert event were closed Saturday, and event organizers imposed shelter-in-place orders. Attendees were told to conserve food, water and fuel after the deluge made it virtually impossible for vehicles to drive on the surface, authorities said.

The remote area in northwest Nevada was hit with two to three months’ worth of rain – up to 0.8 inches – in just 24 hours between Friday and Saturday morning. About 72,000 people remain on site, according to a Sunday night update from Burning Man organizers.

The weeklong festival is scheduled to end Monday, but it’s unclear exactly when attendees will be allowed to drive out of the area.

“The roads in Black Rock City remain too wet and muddy to officially open them for Exodus on Sunday 9/3,” Burning Man organizers said Sunday night.

The organizers said they expect to open “for Exodus” on Monday and will make an announcement by 9 a.m. (noon ET).

Sunny and dry conditions will develop over western Nevada on Monday, “allowing significant improvement to the muddy conditions at the Burning Man festival,” CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen said. The high temperature is expected to reach about 75 degrees.

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