A 10-mile lake has appeared in the middle of the driest spot in the United States.
Death Valley in California, a portion of the northern Mojave Desert, is known for being one of the hottest places in the world - with temperatures frequently reaching over 43C (110F) during the summer months.
But recent heavy rains and flooding have resulted in the formation of a lake in the national park, captured in photos and uploaded to social media by Elliot McGucken.
The photographer stumbled upon the rare phenomenon on March 7 after a storm had severely flooded the area.
While he was hoping to get a glimpse of water in the Badwater Basin, he found the lake instead.
“It’s a surreal feeling seeing so much water in the world’s driest place,” McGucken told SFGate.com. “There’s an irony even though I couldn’t get down to Badwater Basin.
“Overall, I think these shots are probably more unique.”
The lake, according to park officials, is estimated to be about 10 miles long - and the result of nearly one inch of rainfall.
According to weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce, the 0.87 inches of rainfall that fell early in March made up about one-third of the area’s annual average of 2.36 inches.
Even though it was just a small amount of rain, the extremely dry climate is not able to quickly absorb the water.
“Because water is not readily absorbed in the desert environment, even moderate rainfall can cause flooding in Death Valley,” Dolce explained.
