Flooding caused by near-record rainfall in one of the hottest and driest places on Earth has stranded nearly 1.000 people in California's Death Valley National Park, park officials said. About 60 cars belonging to visitors and park staff were buried in drifts at a luxury hotel near the park's headquarters in Furnace Creek, an oasis near the Nevada border. The Guardian.

The flood also blew dumpsters full of garbage onto parked cars, and one car ended up on top of another. Many buildings, hotel rooms and offices remained flooded, the statement said. There are no reports of injuries. About 500 visitors and 500 park staff members were unable to leave the park as all roads leading out of Death Valley were closed.

The average annual precipitation in the park is 55,88 mm, making it the driest place in North America. Furnace Creek holds the record for the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth, at 56,7 degrees Celsius.

The U.S. Park Service said no additional monsoon rains are expected anytime soon, but that additional precipitation is forecast in the coming days.