California’s Death Valley is surprisingly blooming, while the desert terrain is filled with wildflowers thanks to record rain
The Death Valley floor has erupted into a sea of vibrant flowers thanks to record rainfall.
The valley is said to be one of the world’s driest places, regularly seeing about two inches of rain a year. However, extreme weather events such as Hurricane Hilary have tipped the balance, and that storm system delivered 2.2 inches on August 20 alone.
Months after Hilary’s path of destruction, which saw mudslides, flooding and power outages in Southern California, February’s atmospheric deluge dumped an additional 1.5 inches of rain over 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 declared a superbloom this year.
Death Valley National Park has exploded with a sea of brightly colored flowers after a period of record rainfall
The dry valley typically sees only two inches of rain per year. However, extreme weather events have broken it up, with Hurricane Hilary delivering 2.2 inches alone on August 20
The term originated in the 1990s, and although botanists disagree on a definition, it typically denotes large-scale blooms of annual wildflowers in arid regions that would otherwise be a rarity.
The phenomenon occurs about once a year in Death Valley, with the last one recorded in 2016. The region experiences three blooming windows, with the most recent culminating in mid-July.
“A good wildflower year depends on at least three things: well-distributed precipitation throughout 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 famous for its spectacular spring displays of wildflowers, but that’s the exception, not the rule. Only under perfect conditions does the desert fill with a sea of gold, purple, pink or white flowers.’
The sudden deluge of rain followed by an on-and-off lack of moisture may explain why this year’s super bloom didn’t pan out. Another factor could be the spread of invasive weeds that drive competition for nutrients and space in the soil.
Nevertheless, the conditions have brought Death Valley to life in a shock of cheerful yellow flowers that draw tourists to towns like Tecopa and Shoshone along the park’s perimeter.
According to the National Park Service, the best places to see wildflowers in the national park are near the east entrance on Dantes View Road and Panamint Valley on the west side.
There are more flowers to be found along Stateline Road between Death Valley Junction and Pahrump.
The devastating hurricane was followed by an atmospheric deluge in February that dumped an additional 1.5 inches of rain on the desert region over three days
Despite the proliferation of flowers, this year is not shaping up to be a super flower thanks to periods of heavy rainfall followed by a constant lack of moisture since autumn
The best places to see flowers in the park are near 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 reappeared as recently as 2005, came back stronger than ever this year, flooding the park’s Badwater Basin
The outbreak of swathes of bloom comes weeks after the resurgence of Lake Manly, which swelled in the park’s Badwater Basin – the lowest point on the continent.
Lake Manly also reappeared in 2005 after drying up thousands of years earlier, but experts believe it was even bigger thanks to recent rains.
However, water levels have dropped since its return and the Parks Service issued a notice that the lake would be closed to boating.
Talking to Washington PostPatrick Donnelly, Great Basin director of the Center for Biological Diversity, described the events in Death Valley as ‘climate chaos.’
“A lake forming in Death Valley after the wettest six months on record, followed by this bizarre bloom unlike anything we’ve observed before,” Donnelly said. ‘If you want the picture of climate change, this is it.’
This ‘chaos’ has consequences for the nearly 40 million people who call California home.
Climate models indicate the state is likely to see bigger and warmer storms, bringing increased rainfall and flooding.
However, it is not guaranteed that the storms will bring more water overall, leading to more frequent or damaging droughts.
The term ‘superbloom’ typically describes large-scale blooms of annual wildflowers in arid habitats
Climate models indicate the state is likely to see bigger and warmer storms that trigger more rainfall and more severe flooding
Death Valley can see three blooming windows, with the last wrapping up in mid-July
In cases where there is more water, the state will have to find new ways to manage it amid rapidly changing and now unpredictable conditions.
“Changes in precipitation patterns will require changes in how we operate and manage our dams and reservoirs,” notes the California Department of Water Resources 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 is done, officials run the risk of not being able to recover the water through 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. ‘Cause I need it. … I love flowers in the desert, it’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 up while I can’.