Flash Flood — Inyo, California

2015-10-18 · near Scottys Castle, Inyo, California

Event narrative

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.

Wider weather episode

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.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (36.9544, -117.3860)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 602846. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.