A lake in California’s Death Valley, Lake Manly, typically dried up, has filled with up to two feet of water after heavy rains from multiple atmospheric rivers

This is a historic moment for Lake Manly, for it is now filled with enough water to kayak on.

Many locals and tourists are flocking to the area in order to experience this short-term lake. It is very rare for the lake to fill up this much and allow for such activities in its water. One of its park rangers, Nichole Andler, stated “If it’s not once-in-a-lifetime, it’s nearly.” when asked about the occurrence of the lake.

The lake is expected to last only a month, but it may last longer if more rain comes. On average, Death Valley only gets about 2 inches of rain per year. But so far this year it has received 4.7 inches, which is more than double its yearly average.

The lake is quite large at 6 miles long and 3 miles wide. It is located at the lowest elevation below sea level in North America at 282 feet below.

When there is no water in the lake it is normally a dry salt flat. The amount of salt concentrated within it is 4 times that of the ocean. On its shores, there is a white boundary that is caused by the salt in the lake when it dries up.

Lake Manly is a remnant of a much older lake that was also much larger, taking up most of Death Valley National Park. It was formed from a glacier that melted thousands of years ago. It also used to be hundreds of feet deeper than it is now.