A visitor to Death Valley National Park takes a photo with her dog at the sprawling temporary lake at Badwater Basin salt flats on Oct. 21, 2023. Mario Tama / Getty Images
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Back in August, Death Valley National Park closed following flooding from Tropical Storm Hilary. The deluge inundated the park with a year’s worth of rain that filled long-dry lake beds and revitalized the landscape.
The park partially reopened on October 15 and is now dotted with lakes and blanketed with greenery and wildflowers.
“Some spectacular things happened in Death Valley following the floods we received from remnants of Hurricane Hilary back in August. Ephemeral lakes popped up around the park, which is both pretty rare and amazing!” Death Valley National Park wrote in a post on Instagram.
The park was closed for two months following Hilary’s onslaught, the longest period in its history.
The record rainfall created a brand new lake in Badwater Basin, a large salt flat that sits at more than 280 feet below sea level, the lowest point in North America, reported Backpacker.
“Every so often, there are events that are large enough to break weather records and cause significant damage to historic locations and park infrastructure. So while Death Valley is one of the hottest places on earth, and one of the driest in North America, the natural forces that formed this landscape are still at play,” the National Park Service (NPS) website says.
While the depth of the temporary lake hasn’t been measured yet, estimates are that it could be as deep as two feet, Backpacker reported. The basin last accumulated that much water back in 2005.
“This is a really special time,” said Mike Reynolds, Death Valley National Park superintendent, as reported by Backpacker. “It’s pretty rare to see a lake in Death Valley.”
With all that water comes vegetation, and orange and yellow flowers surround the rare oasis.
There is only a small window to see the lake, since Badwater Basin gets extremely hot and has a high evaporation rate, one of the highest on Earth. The lake could completely disappear within weeks.
There was once an ancient lake in the 200-square-mile basin, but it evaporated thousands of years ago, The Guardian reported.
Death Valley is considered one of the driest and hottest places on the planet. Park temperatures were routinely above 120 degrees Fahrenheit this summer.
“In this below-sea-level basin, steady drought and record summer heat make Death Valley a land of extremes,” the Death Valley National Park page on the NPS website says. “Rare rainstorms bring vast fields of wildflowers. Lush oases harbor tiny fish and refuge for wildlife and humans. Despite its morbid name, a great diversity of life thrives in Death Valley.”
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