Atmospheric River Could Flood Driest Place in America

A flood watch has been issued for the driest place in North America as an atmospheric river continues to dump excessive precipitation across California.

The atmospheric river arrived on Sunday and wreaked havoc with severe rain, snow and high winds. The storm followed a similar system that brought a deluge of rain to the state last week, leading to saturated ground prone to flooding with the second system. Catastrophic flooding did occur, particularly in Los Angeles County. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a flood watch for Death Valley National Park as the storm moves east. The park is the hottest place on Earth.

Atmospheric rivers are defined as a "long, narrow region in the atmosphere—like rivers in the sky—that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The NWS issued the flood watch in the early morning hours on Tuesday, and it will remain in place throughout the afternoon. "Flash flooding caused by excessive rainfall continues to be possible," the alert warned.

So far, .73 inches of rain has fallen at Furnace Creek, California, in Death Valley, which is 190 feet below sea level. NWS meteorologist Clay Morgan called the rainfall total "impressive" and told Newsweek that up to .1 to .2 inches of rain is still expected to fall in the desert.

If enough rain falls in Death Valley National Park, a temporary lake can form. A similar lake formed after Hurricane Hilary brought a deluge of rain to California last August.

After Hilary flooded the region, videos of people kayaking through Death Valley abounded on social media. The lake prompted temporary closures at the national park, which reopened in October.

Roadwork and repairs have been ongoing since Hilary struck, according to a National Park Service webpage. Morgan said he expects that once again standing water from the atmospheric river is in Death Valley's salt flats.

Precipitation totals at the lower elevations of Death Valley are much different from those in the mountains. Death Valley is a mountainous region, with some of its peaks extending more than 11,000 feet high. In addition to floods at the lower elevations, the atmospheric river is threatening heavy snow for regions above 6,000 feet, including some of the peaks at Death Valley National Park.

Up to 8 inches of snow is forecast. The warning also was in place for Inyo County's Eastern Sierra Slopes and White Mountains and will remain in place until 4 p.m. local time.

"A Winter Storm Warning for snow means severe winter weather conditions will make travel very hazardous or impossible," the NWS warning said. "If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency."