‘Supercharged’ Flowers Blooming After California’s Atmospheric River

Brilliant yellow flowers are bringing cheer throughout California’s Death Valley after being “supercharged” by an atmospheric river that hit the region last month.

The flowers are reminiscent of the superbloom—a phenomenon that can occur in California during the spring months. The massive bloom of wildflowers produces such a stunning view that it draws spectators from around the nation. Last year was the first California superbloom since 2019.

But Patrick Donnelly, the Center for Biological Diversity’s Great Basin director, said the yellow flowers currently blooming in the desert aren’t part of the massive phenomenon sometimes experienced in the spring.

“This was mostly sun cups (Chylismia brevipes),” he posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday with a picture of the flowers. “They’re absolutely enormous, up to 30″ tall & around. Biggest I’ve ever seen. These aren’t actually spring wildflowers, they’re leftover from the strange post-Hilary bloom last fall & then supercharged by the atmospheric river.”

Donnelly told Newsweek that the flowers were photographed near Shoshone, California, along the Amargosa River just outside of Death Valley National Park. He added that the region is experiencing “one of the wettest periods ever recorded” after Tropical Storm Hilary flooded Death Valley in August, creating a temporary lake in the driest (and hottest) place in North America.

The torrential downpour also fueled the growth of the sun cups, which were supplemented by an atmospheric river that brought excessive rain to the region in February.

“Hurricane Hilary dumped 2 inches of rain on us in August, and then the recent atmospheric river gave us 2.5 inches. Combined with other rain, we are at 200 percent of average annual rainfall just in the last 7 months,” Donnelly said. “So what’s happening with the flowers right now is inherently unpredicted, based on the unprecedented climactic conditions we’re experiencing.”

The excessive moisture allowed the flowers to survive the winter. When the atmospheric river hit at the beginning of February, their growth became “supercharged,” Donnelly said.

“Now, they’re basically being supercharged because they are essentially living through two rainy seasons,” Donnelly said. “Normally, these flowers would bloom in March and die back by May and that’s it. Whereas these guys bloomed in October and now are going nuts in March. Very strange.”

Donnelly said the spring bloom has not yet become widespread but the flowers are already up to three times their normal size.

It remains unclear if California will experience another superbloom this spring.

“With the ground still so moist, I’d say the conditions are very good for an exceptional bloom and maybe a superbloom,” Donnelly said. “But we can’t say for sure whether or not that will happen.”