California’s Death Valley in surprise bloom as desert terrain is filled with wildflowers thanks to record-setting rain

The Death Valley floor has erupted into a sea of ​​vibrant flowers thanks to record-breaking rainfall.

The valley is so named because it is one of the driest places in the world, regularly receiving about five centimeters of rain per year. However, extreme weather events such as Hurricane Hilary have tipped the balance, with that storm system delivering 2 inches on August 20 alone.

Months after Hilary’s path of destruction, which included mudslides, floods and power outages across Southern California, February’s atmospheric river dumped an additional 1.5 inches of rain in Death Valley over a three-day period.

These conditions culminated in one of the most impressive wildflower seasons since 2016, with an estimated tens of thousands of hectares blooming at once.

Despite the striking display, the National Park Service has not named a super bloom this year.

The arid valley typically receives only two inches of rain per year. However, extreme weather conditions have thrown the situation into disarray, with Hurricane Hilary bringing 2 inches on August 20 alone

The term emerged in the 1990s, and although botanists disagree on its definition, it generally refers to large-scale blooms of annual wildflower species in arid areas that would otherwise be rare.

The phenomenon occurs in Death Valley about once every ten years, with the last recorded occurrence in 2016. The region has three flowering periods, the last of which reaches its peak in mid-July.

“A good wildflower year depends on at least three things: adequate rainfall during the fall, winter and spring, adequate warmth from the sun and a lack of drying winds,” the NPS notes on its website.

‘Death Valley is known for its spectacular spring flowers, but that is the exception and not the rule. Only under perfect conditions does the desert fill with a sea of ​​golden, purple, pink or white flowers.’

The sudden deluge of rain, followed by an intermittent lack of moisture, could explain why this year’s beautiful blooms failed to materialize. Another factor could be the proliferation of invasive weeds, creating competition for nutrients and space in the soil.

Nevertheless, the conditions have brought Death Valley to life in a shock of cheerful yellow flowers, drawing tourists to towns like Tecopa and Shoshone along the park’s edge.

According to the National Park Service, the best places to view wildflowers in the national park are near the east entrance on Dantes View Road and Panamint Valley on the west side.

More flowers can be found along Stateline Road between Death Valley Junction and Pahrump.

The devastating hurricane was followed in February by an atmospheric river that dumped another 1.5 inches of rain on the desert region in three days.

Despite the proliferation of blossoms, this year will not see outstanding flowering, thanks to periods of heavy rainfall, followed by an intermittent lack of moisture since autumn.

The best places to view flowers in the park are at the east entrance on Dantes View Road and Panamint Valley on the west side, according to the National Park Service.

Lake Manly, which dried up thousands of years ago and last resurfaced in 2005, came back stronger than ever this year, flooding the park’s Badwater Basin.

The eruption of flower fields comes weeks after the resurrection of Lake Manly, which swelled into the park’s Badwater Basin, the continent’s lowest point.

Lake Manly also reappeared in 2005 after drying up thousands of years earlier, but experts think it was even bigger thanks to recent rainfall.

However, water levels have dropped since the return, with the Parks Service issuing an advisory that the lake would be closed to boating.

Speaking to the WashingtonpostPatrick Donnelly, director of the Center for Biological Diversity at Great Basin, described the events in Death Valley as “climate chaos.”

“A lake is forming in Death Valley after the wettest six months on record, followed by this bizarre bloom that is unlike anything we’ve seen before,” Donnelly said. “If you want a picture of climate change, this is it.”

This “chaos” is impacting the nearly 40 million people who call California home.

Climate models indicate the state is likely to experience larger and warmer storms, leading to increased rainfall and flooding.

However, there is no guarantee that the storms will bring more water overall, leading to more frequent or damaging droughts.

The term ‘superbloom’ generally describes large-scale blooms of annual wildflower species in dry habitats

Climate models indicate the state is likely to experience larger and warmer storms, leading to more rainfall and more severe flooding

Death Valley has three flowering periods, the last of which ends in mid-July

In cases where there is more water, the state will have to find new ways to manage water amid rapidly changing and now unpredictable conditions.

“Changes in precipitation patterns will require adjustments in the way we operate and manage our dams and reservoirs,” the California Department of Water Resources notes on its website.

As past patterns become increasingly unreliable for predicting the future, the department may need to release more water from dams to prevent flooding. But if that does happen, officials run the risk of not being able to recover the water through the spring runoff.

Amid an ever-looming sense of doom, wildflowers are a much-needed distraction for climate scientists like Donnelly.

“I’m going to enjoy this,” he said of the bloom. ‘Because I need it. … I love flowers in the desert, that’s what makes me the happiest in the world, you get addicted to it. So I just take it and try to drink it all while I can.”