Golestan Flash Flood On March 17, 2019, a severe rainfall caused massive flooding in Golestan province, Iran. The flood affected around 70 villages in the province, and resulted in power outages in 360 other villages. The incident coincided with the Iranian national holiday of Nowruz. The estimated financial damage from the flood is around $480 million, and it caused the loss of eight lives. According to weather experts, the 300 millimeters of rain that fell in two days was equivalent to the annual average rainfall of Golestan province. Cities located along the "Ghareh Sou" and "Gorganrud" rivers such as Gonbad-e Kavus, Aqqala, Bandar Torkaman and Gomishan were also affected. The dams of "Boustan" and "Golestan" in the eastern part of Golestan province overflowed due to heavy rainfall, and the "Chelchay" and "Gorganrud" rivers also overflowed in the vicinity of Gonbad-e Kavus. To release the accumulated water in the area, on March 24, rescue forces detonated a section of the railway track from "Gorgan" to "Incheh Borun" in northern Aqqala. Additionally, a section of the "Charqoli" to "Gomishan" road was blown up on March 27, allowing the released water to flow towards the Caspian Sea.