Record rainfall in Death Valley National Park, USA
Death Valley – in the Mojave Desert, which stretches across California and Nevada, in the USA – is famous for its extreme weather. However, in recent weeks it has set records for precipitation rather than high temperatures.
The United States National Park Service (NPS) reported unprecedented levels of precipitation in Death Valley National Park.
The flood was so intense and persistent that a Ice Age lake formed again.
Located in the Badwater Basin — the lowest point in North America, as remembered — the Lago Manly It may have been, at one point, more than 300 meters deep. However, has not been seen permanently for over 10,000 years.
Lake Manly was at its peak 128,000–186,000 years ago, when it would span almost 161 kilometers of land, fed by ice and rivers from the Sierra Nevada.
The lake made a brief, shallow appearance after Hurricane Hilary crossed the region in 2023. Now, thanks to record rainfall, it appears to have really revived – albeit on a smaller scale than was seen thousands of years ago.
According to records, it was the wettest autumn ever in Death Valley.
The NPS did not go into detail about why this unusual weather system occurred, but it is known that climate change pressures are causing record highs around the world.
Extreme weather events are expected to become more frequent, longer lasting and even more severe as the planet warms.
As Science Alert states, the event is a reminder that the landscapes we see around us were formed over billions of years and have changed significantly over that time. Even a place as dry and desolate as Death Valley has evolved markedly over the millennia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WySW2HukcWA
