Tourists flock to Death Valley to experience the heat. Death Valley is famous for being the hottest place on earth and driest place in North America. Monday, July 17, 2023. Brian Ramos
Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023 | 8:35 p.m.
Death Valley National Park will reopen in stages as some roads could take weeks to months to repair after flooding from historic rains brought by the remnants of Hurricane Hilary.
The National Weather Service rain gauge at Furnace Creek measured 2.2 inches of rain Sunday. This exceeds the park’s annual average rainfall of 2.15 inches. It also set a new single-day rainfall record for Death Valley, breaking the previous record of 1.70 inches set on Aug. 5, 2022. The National Weather Service radar indicates some parts of the park may have received around 5 inches of rain that day.
“All paved and unpaved roads in Death Valley have been damaged and are closed,” a release states. “Undercutting of pavement and pavement loss make travel conditions unsafe. Additionally four utility systems were compromised by debris that moved during the flash flooding, dislodging water and wastewater pipes and impacting a well.”
It could take weeks to assess the destruction because the damaged roadways makes it difficult to travel to some locations.
“Safety is the most important thing coming out of this storm. Making sure crews can work safely and efficiently without interruptions from visitor traffic will help us achieve that” said Superintendent Mike Reynolds. “We ask the public for patience and to honor the closures so we can do the work needed to get Death Valley open as quickly as possible and safe for everyone to visit.”
The release estimates weeks before popular destinations Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Wells will be reopened.
About 400 residents, employees and travelers sheltered in place for about 24 hours during the storm. They were able to leave the park via an exit lane on CA-190 late Monday after National Park Service and Caltrans road crews cleared the roadway.
