By ABC News
An ancient lake that reemerged at Death Valley National Park last year will remain for longer than initially expected now that several rounds of extreme rain have poured through Southern California, according to officials.
Death Valley’s famed Badwater Basin began filling up with water in August due to heavy precipitation from Hurricane Hilary, which prompted the first tropical storm watch in California state history, Abby Wines, park ranger at Death Valley National Park, told ABC News last month. During that event, more than 2 inches of water fell on Aug. 20 — the amount the region typically sees in a year.
Park rangers initially estimated that several inches of water where Ice Age-era Lake Manly once stood would only last until February. But storm systems fueled with potent atmospheric rivers in recent weeks has expanded the lake once again, satellite images released by NASA show.
Much of the precipitation occurred between Feb. 4 and Feb. 7, when 1.5 inches of water fell in the park, according to a statement released by the National Park Service on Friday. The series of satellite images shows how the lake expanded from virtually no water on July 5 to being flooded with water from August through February.
Death Valley is the driest place in North America, with a typical rainfall total of about 2 inches per year, according to NASA. In the past six months, the region has received nearly 5 inches of rain, records show.
At this point, park rangers are uncertain how long the lake will last. Another round of atmospheric rivers are forecast for the region on Monday through Wednesday.
Related news:
Satellite images show lake formed in famously dry Death Valley
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