Last week’s historic rainfall and flash flooding that caused widespread damage and left hundreds of staff and tourists stranded in Death Valley National Park is another clear sign of how extreme weather is being intensified by the fossil fuel-driven climate emergency, experts say.
The otherwise dry landscape between California, Nevada was pummeledMultiple downpours last week. Friday’s storm dumped an estimated 1.46 inches of rain at Furnace Creek — 75% of the annual average total for the park, where less than two inches of precipitation per year is typical — in just three hours.
The torrent washed roads, pushed garbage and other debris into parked vehicles, inundated hotel rooms, and left extensive mud-and-gravel deposits, according to the National Park Service said. Officials expect Death Valley to have a full complement of 3.4 million acres and more than 1,000 miles worth of roads. assessmentThe extent of the damage and the subsequent repairsIt may take some time. There have been no injuries reported to date. Aerial searches are ongoing in remote areas of the park.
Friday’s rainfall, which came after heavy rains last Monday led to flash floods and road closures in the area, fell just short of the all-time daily record of 1.47 inches, set in April 1988.
But it broke all records for August and caused a deluge that Daniel Berc (a meteorologist with National Weather Service Las Vegas), was unable to control. described as a “1,000-year event,” which means that “there is a 0.1% chance of occurring in any given year.”
This morning, Death Valley National Park was hit by severe flash flooding. Nearly two dozen vehicles were trapped in mud, rock and debris at the Inn of Death Valley. It took almost 6 hours to get them out. #cawx #stormhour pic.twitter.com/3rDFUgY7ws
— John Sirlin (@SirlinJohn) August 5, 2022
“Events like this one, once thought to be exceedingly rare, are on the rise,” The Guardian reported Thursday. “Scientists are finding that weather extremes, fueled by the climate crisis, are becoming more likely in the American West, which continues to be mired in drought. Periods of dryness are expected to be broken with strong, destructive storms as the world continues to warm.”
“Described as ‘a land of extremes,’ the desert basin is the driest place in North America and is known for temperatures that have climbed higher than any other place on Earth,” the newspaper noted.
According to the National Weather Service, temperatures in Death Valley have been around 114°F this week and are forecast to reach 116°F on Thursday and Friday.
Last week’s “1,000-year flood is another example of this extreme environment,” said park superintendent Mike Reynolds. “With climate change models predicting more frequent and more intense storms, this is a place where you can see climate change in action.”
Death Valley isn’t the only place that has seen extreme rainfall in recent years due to planet-heating greenhouse gases pollution.
Floodwaters decimated this summer YellowstoneSt. Louis and killed many people in eastern KentuckyAnd SeoulWhere? mountaintop removal coal miningAnd semi-underground apartmentsAccordingly, impoverished residents were more at risk of death and destruction.
“We are going to have to change the labeling because these are not one-in-1,000-years events anymore,” Andreas Prein, a climate expert at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, told The Guardian. “It’s shocking to see all of this flood damage but it follows a pattern. These rare events are becoming more and more common and our infrastructure is just not keeping up.”
“Climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of flooding,” he added, “and it will likely get worse with further warming.”
