Badwater Basin, which lies at the very bottom of Death Valley, is the remnant of a vast ancient lake that once existed tens of thousands of years ago. It normally averages a paltry 2in (5.08cm) of rain each year. But during the past six months, the valley floor has received nearly 5in (12.7 cm). According to the National Park Service, most of that rain came from two events: 2.2in (5.59 cm) back on 20 August and another 1.5in (3.81cm) during the record-setting ''atmospheric rivers'' that have recently drenched much of California. Rain generally evaporates very quickly in Death Valley, but the billions of gallons of water is now a six-mile-long by three-mile-wide lake known as Lake Manly. Video Credit © Katrina Kochneva /ZUMA Press