Following the recent historic heavy rains in California, an unusual event continues to unfold at the lakes of the famous Death Valley.
Officials from the park confirmed that a lake formed in the Badwater Basin in August, typically a salt flat, after heavy rains and flash flooding caused by the remnants of Hurricane Hillary in Death Valley National Park.
Thanks to atmospheric river events over the past two weeks, heavy rain across much of California has caused the lake to last longer than it would have under normal conditions. According to the park’s statement on Thursday, “Most of us thought the lake would be gone by October,” park ranger Abby Wines said in a statement. “We were shocked to see it still here after almost six months. Rain this week will extend the length of time the lake is here. It’s too shallow for kayaking, but It gives us great reflections of the mountains.”
Death Valley typically only receives about 2 inches of precipitation a year, but in the past six months it has seen just under 5 inches of rain, almost entirely due to Hillary and recent atmospheric river events. This was announced on Thursday.
During Hurricane Hillary, about 2.2 inches of rain fell per day, hitting California as a rare tropical storm, resulting in floods that damaged roads and other infrastructure.
The lake, which at one point was 11 miles long, 4 miles wide and 2 feet deep, spilled out following the heavy rainfall, as reported by the National Park Service.
Death Valley received 1.66 inches of rain earlier this week, according to the National Weather Service said earlier Wednesday. With a 72 hour precipitation report.
Park officials say temporary lakes in Badwater Basin are rare. Once an inland lake named Lake Manly, the basin has long since dried up. The park states that it has existed in the geologic past, and the most recent one dried out approximately 10,000 years ago.
Known for having some of the hottest, if not record-setting, scorching summer temperatures ever recorded on Earth, this week’s highs in Death Valley are in the 50s to 60s. The average high temperature in Furnace Creek usually begins to reach 90 degrees in April. According to the park.
The highest temperature ever recorded on Earth was July 10, 1913, at Furnace Creek in Death Valley, reaching 134 degrees, as reported by the World Meteorological Organization.
Source: www.nbcnews.com
