The national park, which straddles eastern California and Nevada, was hit by 3.71cm of rain in one area – about 75% of what normally falls in an entire year. It was also more than ever for the whole of August. Since 1936, the only day with more rain was April 15, 1988, when 3.73 centimeters fell, park officials said. While there were no immediate reports of injuries, officials confirmed that about 500 visitors and 500 park workers were stuck inside the park and about 60 vehicles were buried in mud and debris. “Whole trees and boulders were washed away,” said photographer John Sirlin. “The noise from some of the rocks coming down the mountain was just incredible.” He had seen the flooding while trying to take photos of lightning as the storm approached. “It was more extreme than anything I’ve seen there,” added Shirlin, who has been chasing storms since the 1990s. “There were at least two dozen cars that crashed and got stuck in there,” he said, adding that he didn’t see anyone injured “or a water rescue.” Image: Flooding has caused the closure of a highway. Photo: National Park Service During Friday’s downpour, large garbage cans were pushed into parked cars, causing the vehicles to collide with each other, the park said in a statement. “In addition, many facilities are flooded, including hotel rooms and business offices,” he added. Image: Cars stuck in mud and debris. Photo: National Park Service Read more: ‘More human remains’ found in drought-stricken Lake MeadHuge fires in northern California Residents have also been left without water after a supply line that was being repaired broke and damaged the system. The storm followed another major flooding event earlier this week in the park 120 miles northeast of Las Vegas. On Monday, some roads were closed after being inundated with mud and debris from flooding that also hit western Nevada and northern Arizona.
