NASA's warning about what's happening in the United States: "A lake has emerged in the Death Valley desert."

Death Valley is a desert valley in California (USA). The region's National Park bills itself as "the hottest, driest, and lowest above sea level" in the entire country. A lake has emerged in the middle of this desert.

The lake in question formed in the Badwater Basin . It dates back to August 2023, when it appeared in the aftermath of Hurricane Hilary, according to NASA's Earth Observatory. An atmospheric river in early February, "a very humid, relatively narrow, and long flow of air," according to the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) , prevented it from drying out completely.

In some areas, the lake reached a depth of 30 centimeters by the middle of last month, according to National Park workers. This isn't the first time a lake has formed in the area: the current lake is notable for its longevity.

The Badwater Basin is an endorheic basin , meaning it has no outlet to the ocean, which typically means that the level of water evaporating is much higher than the level of water entering, and any lakes that form in the area eventually disappear.

However, Death Valley ("the driest place in North America," according to NASA) has received more than twice as much rain as usual in the last six months: 125 millimeters, mainly due to Hurricane Hilary (which left 55.8 millimeters of water on August 20, 2023) and the atmospheric river in February (which left 38.1 between the 4th and 7th of last month).

"Most of us thought it would be gone by October," said one of the National Park workers, according to a press release from the center on February 8. "We were surprised to see it's been here for more than six months."

"This week's rain (from the atmospheric river) will make it take longer to evaporate. It's too shallow to kayak through, but it offers stunning reflections of the mountains," he added.