UPDATE: Power was restored early Sunday morning to National Park Service facilities and hotels in Death Valley National Park, although services are limited and some roads remain closed.
Furnace Creek Visitor Center is open. Furnace Creek Inn and Ranch Hotel and related services are closed for Sunday but will reopen Monday. The gas station at Furnace Creek is open for business. Stovepipe Wells Village is open with limited availability, including the hotel, store, and gas station. The saloon at Stovepipe Wells will serve a limited dinner menu starting at 5:30 pm. Panamint Springs Resort is open.
In addition to the electrical outage, the storm caused flash flooding in the north end of the park. The Beatty Cutoff Road is closed Sunday -— traffic to and from Beatty can enter the park on Nevada Route 374 (Daylight Pass Road).
The electrical outage created dangerous conditions for residents of Death Valley, as highs yesterday reached 115 degrees. As temperatures inside homes climbed into the 90s, many park residents evacuated to Beatty, Pahrump, and Lathrop Wells. The Nye County Emergency Management Team and American Red Cross assisted with evacuations of residents and hotel guests.
High winds flipped a small plane parked on the remote landing strip in Saline Valley, stranding passengers overnight. Winds also damaged several roofs in the ranger housing area, and damage assessments are continuing.
ORIGINAL STORY
Friday night's storm knocked out power and telephone service in Death Valley National Park.
Park officials said people planning to visit Death Valley National Park this weekend should consider changing their plans. If they drive through the park, they should exercise extreme caution due to storm damage to roads.
Early reports indicate that at least one power pole is down between Death Valley Junction and Furnace Creek. It is not known when power will be restored.
Officials said hotels in the park are going to be closed at least through Sunday.
Furnace Creek Resort and Stovepipe Wells are also going to be closed Sunday and will reopen when power is restored.
Highway CA-190 is fully open, but drivers should be cautious due to debris on the road and washed out road shoulders. A vehicle got pushed just off the fog line near Zabriskie Point and was stuck in mud.
Badwater Road is open for 47 miles to Ashford Mills. The Jubilee Pass section of Badwater Road, the connection to Shoshone, California, remains closed due to damage from floods in October 2015. That road is under construction currently. The July 2 storm undercut pavement and caused new damage to that section of road.
Scotty's Castle Road and Titus Canyon are closed.
The National Park Service originally planned to open Jubilee Pass in late July, but this storm’s damage may cause delays.
In addition to the flood damage to Death Valley National Park, temperatures are forecasted to be around 116 degrees.
