Hurricane Hilary may transform hottest place on Earth into massive lake
Death Valley National Park is known for intense heat and sparse rain, but tropical downpours could turn it into a desert oasis and lead to some problems.
Death Valley is known for its intense heat and bone-dry landscape, but it could be transformed into a desert oasis due to Hurricane Hilary.
The national park sits below sea level in California, southeast of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. Being in the rain shadow of the towering mountains, it rarely rains in the park, especially in the summer when the temperature frequently reaches 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty said Death Valley National Park could receive 2-4 inches of rain from Hilary. Typically, the park receives just 0.94 of an inch of rain in an entire year, according to the historical average.
The tropical deluge from Saturday through Monday could overwhelm the landscape and cause the sizzling-hot valley to transform into a massive lake.
The formerly dry Panimint Dry Lake, located at the base of the snow-capped Panamint Mountan Range, is viewed on March 3, 2023, near Panimint Springs, California. Death Valley National Park, the largest park in the contiguous United States, straddling the border of California and Nevada, is also the hottest, driest and lowest park, dropping to 282 feet below sea level. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)
Heavy rain has filled Death Valley with water in the recent past.
In March of 2019, springtime rain flooded the park to create a lake stretching nearly 10 miles.
Similarly, 1.3 inches of rain that fell in Death Valley in October of 2015 created a temporary lake that was deep enough for kayakers to paddle around the park.
However, the forecast of a lake-forming deluge is not a guarantee.
Douty warned that a small change in Hilary's track could have big implications in Death Valley.
"The trick here will be that the heaviest rain could fall across a narrow north-south oriented zone," Douty explained. "A small shift in the storm track could easily shift the corridor of heavy rain."
Still, any rain could be an issue for people in the arid park.
Even if the heaviest rain avoids the park but drenches nearby areas, water runoff could still funnel water into Death Valley. The runoff could potentially washout roads and damage infrastructure in the remote park.
Last August, a heavy downpour flooded roads, buried vehicles in debris and stranded 1,000 visitors.
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