Death Valley Historic Flood Revealed by NASA Satellites

A thousand-year rainfall event¹ flooded the driest place in North America earlier this week.

While a thousand stranded visitors and staff² were given front-row seats to the event, NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites had a bird's eye view.

NASA released the imagery Tuesday, sharing more about the technique used to create the images. The flood waters appear blue along Furnace Creek, where roads were washed out, cars buried, and buildings damaged³.

The National Park Service says 1.46 inches of rain fell in just three hours, which is nearly a year's worth of rainfall. National Weather Service meteorologists are calling it a "1000-year event", meaning there is a 0.1% chance of it occurring in any given year.

¹ Death Valley Experiences 1,000 Year Rain Event

² Death Valley Roads Closed, Damage Being Assessed

³ NASA Earth Observatory: Death Valley Flash Flooding