Record rainfall Friday precipitation triggered flash flooding at Death Valley National Park, which swept away vehicles, shut down all roads, and stranded hundreds of visitors and employees.
There were no initial reports of injuries, but officials reported that approximately 60 vehicles were buried in mud and debris and that 500 guests and 500 park employees were trapped inside the park.
1.46 inches of rain fell on the park near the Nevada-California state line in the Furnace Creek region. That’s more rain than has ever been recorded for the entire month of August, and it’s around 75% of what the region generally receives in a year.
According to park officials, the only day with more rain since 1936 was April 15, 1988, when 1.47 inches of rain fell.
John Sirlin, a photographer with an Arizona-based adventure firm, saw the floods while sitting on a hillside boulder where he was attempting to shoot photographs of lightning as the storm came. “Entire trees and boulders were washing down,” he said.
He described the boom made by some of the rocks as “simply unbelievable” in a phone interview on Friday afternoon.
Friday night, park officials did not immediately reply to calls for an update.
The park, located 120 miles (193 kilometers) northeast of Las Vegas, had earlier this week experienced significant flooding, which was followed by the storm. After being flooded with mud and debris from flash floods that also severely affected western Nevada and northern Arizona, some roadways were closed on Monday.
According to Sirlin, a resident of Chandler, Arizona, who has been going to the park since 2016, the rain on Friday began at two in the morning.
The lead guide with Incredible Weather Adventures, Sirlin, who began tracking storms in Minnesota and the high plains in the 1990s, stated that “It was more intense than anything I’ve seen there.”
“Many washes were flowing at depths of many feet. Approximately three to four feet of rocks litter the roadway, he said.
“At least two dozen automobiles were damaged and stranded,” he claimed, adding that he did not observe any injuries or “high water rescues.”
The National Weather Service reported that a flash flood warning for the park and surrounding area expired at 12:45 p.m. on Friday, but a flood advisory remained in effect until nightfall.
