1972: Torrential downpours cause flooding in Calama, Chile

Calama, Chile is one of the driest cities in the world with average annual precipitation of just 0.20”. Located on the Atacama Desert, a plateau in South America. The desert is one of the driest places in the world, as well as the only true desert to receive less precipitation than polar regions. In many locations in the desert it rains but once every 10 years and then in small amounts. But on February 10,1972 a torrential downpour depositing several inches of rain caused catastrophic floods and landslides, isolating the town and cutting off electricity. Prior to this event, the town had been known as THE driest place on earth, having had virtually no rain for 400 years.

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