Yellowstone visits down due to snowy weather

Yellowstone National Park visitor numbers were down some in September compared to the same time in 2016.

The National Park Service said Yellowstone hosted 640,068 visits in September, the third busiest September on record. But, the numbers were down 8.79 percent from September 2016, which saw 701,754 visits. That was the second busiest September on record.

Park officials believe several days of snowy weather, which resulted in closed roads from snow, ice, and avalanche may have contributed to the visitation decline.

So far this year, the park has hosted 3,872,776 visitors, down 2.47 percent from the same time a year ago. Last year was the busiest in park history.