Death Valley Flowers in Bloom Sums Up a Crazy Winter in One Photo

While the East Coast waits for the flowers and trees to bloom at the end of a long winter, one place that hasn't had any issues with blooming vegetation might surprise you.

Death Valley has experienced a warmer-than-average winter and enough rain to allow for wildflower growth at the national park, according to the Death Valley Natural History Association. The group posted photos of the widespread bloom, and Thursday, the Las Vegas office of the National Weather Service followed by tweeting the image at the top of this page.

Although wildflowers do bloom in the harsh climate, experts say this year's color is coming out sooner and could be more plentiful.

"The weather over the next several weeks will be the determining factor but from what I'm seeing on the ground, this could be the best year we've had since the spectacular displays of 2005," said DVNHA executive director David Blacker in a statement, according to a February report by the Los Angeles Times.

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The wildflowers generally begin to bloom in late February, the L.A. Times report added, and could continue to bloom through June or July if conditions stay favorable.

The park, which is known for having the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth, averages just 1.61 inches of rain each year from Oct. 1 through mid-March. This season, Death Valley has received 1.19 inches of rain, but it came at the right time for the wildflower bloom, DNVHA officials say.

Aside from the wildflower bloom, the warm winter was mostly bad news for California. It kept snowpack at dangerously low levels in the higher elevations, worsening a long-term drought that's likely to turn even more dire as summer approaches.

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