Death Valley National Park will partially close in anticipation of heavy rains and flooding from Hurricane Hilary. The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch from Saturday, August 19 at 11:00 am and until Tuesday, August 22 at 5:00 am. Campgrounds, Furnace Creek Visitor Center, North Highway, and Badwater Road will close starting Saturday.
2023-08-24, 07:13 AM (This post was last modified: 2023-08-24, 07:14 AM by Beardilocks.)
Deja Vu all over again...
" Death Valley National Park remains closed, all visitors evacuated
The National Weather Service rain gauge at Furnace Creek measured 2.2 inches (55.9 mm) of rain Sunday, August 20, 2023, which exceeds the park’s annual average rainfall of 2.15 inches (54.6 mm) and set a new single-day rainfall record for Death Valley!
National Park Service (NPS) and Caltrans road crews opened a lane on CA-190 by late day on August 21st. This provided an exit route for the 400 residents, employees, and travelers who sheltered in place in the park for about 24 hours.
All paved and unpaved roads in Death Valley have been damaged and are closed. Undercutting of pavement and pavement loss make travel conditions unsafe. Additionally, four utility systems were compromised by debris during the flooding, dislodging water and wastewater pipes and impacting a well. There is no estimated park/roads reopening date at this time. The park will likely reopen in stages. It may be weeks before Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Wells open. Secondary roads in the park may take months to open. "
Looks like we're back to most of the park being closed for the foreseeable future. Likely into November.
I wonder how far back that pushes the still-unfinished repairs to Titus, Marble, Scotty's, etc...
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