One of the driest and hottest places on earth just experienced a torrential flood that wiped out a parking lot, closed roads, and stranded around 1000 visitors at this popular park. Videos of the event are stunning.
As the lowest point in North America, Death Valley is also one of the hottest places on earth. It also attracts multitudes of tourists every year eager to visit the National Park.
However, it isn’t the heat that Death Valley is in the news for right now. Torrential storms unleashed epic flash floods which decimated a parking lot, destroying 60 or so cars in the process and trapping 500 visitors and another 500 or so staff.
State Route 190, one of the major roads in the area remains closed because of the flooding.
The park, which normally receives about 1.9 inches of rain annually, received 1.46 inches of rain in a single day which fell just shy of the single-day record of 1.47 inches which occurred back in April of 1988.
Some travelers managed to get out as did John Sirlin who shared this video on Twitter where he said it took them about 6 hours to leave as they drove their vehicle through damaged roads and areas:
Videos of the aftermath show vehicles surrounded by mud and much and drivers attempting to dig their cars out of the muck like they would a snowbank.
Sirlin, who has shared several videos of the events, also noted that many of the side roads are washed out making them almost impassable.
The rain started on Friday as part of a monsoon-season storm and quickly deluged streambeds and roads as epic flooding was the norm.
According to CNN, no injuries have been reported, and some of those stranded have begun to leave. If you can find a way you can leave. A public affairs officer for the National Park Service told CNN that a number of folks have voluntarily left the park despite the road closures.
