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Flash Flood in Inyo County, California

Flash Flood October 18, 2015 · Inyo County, California

$25.0M
Damage as recorded

Where the report was made, with tornadoes recorded within 15 miles over the years.

What the National Weather Service wrote

Major flash flooding hit the Grapevine Canyon area of Death Valley National Park. The Mesquite Springs Campground and Grapevine Ranger Station were evacuated; eight vehicles full of visitors and three park rangers were stranded overnight near Ubehebe Crater. Trenches up to six feet deep were cut into Scotty's Castle Road in Grapevine Canyon. 24 power poles were downed, the water treatment facility was heavily damaged, and water lines and the historic water tank were destroyed. The stables building and long house were heavily damaged. Two feet of mud and debris filled the visitor's center. Several inches of mud, rock, and debris also entered the cookhouse. Scotty's Castle measured 2.72 inches of rain in roughly five hours.

The wider storm

An upper level low pressure system brought a round of thunderstorms to the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin. Significant flash flooding occurred, along with isolated severe weather.

Began near Scottys Castle (36.9544, -117.3860).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 602846. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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