Snowbirds are on the move to the deserts of Southern California and Arizona, but this year’s weird weather has already produced dangerous flash floods in some areas. On Sunday Joshua Tree National Park closed all dirt roads as the National Park Service announced numerous closures due to a Southern California storm that popped up Friday.
The NPS said that power and internet services were disrupted in many park buildings, closing some visitor services facilities, and severe flooding had forced multiple closures, reports NBC Los Angeles.
Along with all dirt roads in the park, the inbound and outbound roads in the Cottonwood area have been shut down, along with the visitor center and campground.
The NPS said that the Cottonwood area expects to be closed for several days and that road crews were working hard to improve road conditions.
Visitors to the park are advised to use the north entrance. The south entrance remains closed and the west entrance was limited to one lane.
Desert storms build quickly and people should not try to cross moving water, the NPS warned.