Death Valley in California Simmers as Intense Heatwave Persists

Death Valley, recognized as the world’s hottest location, punctuated an unprecedentedly warm summer this Sunday with temperatures nearing historical records, according to weather experts. This comes amidst a global heatwave that’s affecting virtually the entire planet.

Death Valley, stretching along a portion of California’s central boundary with Nevada, witnessed temperatures skyrocketing to 128 degrees Fahrenheit (53.33 degrees Celsius) at the fittingly dubbed Furnace Creek, the National Weather Service reported on Sunday.

The World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) record of the highest temperature ever logged on Earth stands at 134 F (56.67 C) in July 1913 at Furnace Creek, shared by Randy Ceverny, the WMO’s record coordinator. There have only been a few instances of temperatures reaching or surpassing 130 F (54.44 C), with the majority of these instances occurring in Death Valley.

“Increasing global temperatures mean that such high temperatures are expected to become more common,” Ceverny wrote in an email. “Over time, global warming is resulting in higher and more frequent temperature extremes. This particular weekend’s heat, however, is influenced by an extraordinarily powerful high-pressure ridge over the Western U.S.”

Furnace Creek, an unincorporated community within Death Valley National Park, houses the park’s visitor center, where a digital thermometer draws considerable attention from tourists. This Sunday afternoon, several individuals, humorously sporting fur coats, flocked to the thermometer hoping to capture an impressive temperature reading for their loved ones.

The digital thermometer recorded a temperature of 130 degrees at one point on Sunday, although this isn’t considered an official reading. As the sun set, the National Weather Service affirmed that the highest temperature logged on Sunday was 128 F (53.3 C), a peak unlikely to be surpassed.

Meanwhile, tourists took snapshots and briefly wandered the white salt flats encircled by sandy mountains at the nearby Badwater Basin, North America’s lowest point, sitting 282 feet (85.95 meters) below sea level. Meteorologists conjecture that a thin layer of clouds likely restrained temperatures from hitting potential record highs.

Across various parts of the United States, extreme weather conditions persist. This includes deadly flash floods in Pennsylvania and fears of landslides in Vermont due to continued rainfall after days of flooding.

Nearly a third of Americans are under some type of heat advisory due to an intense heatwave across the country. Despite not being as visually striking as other natural calamities, heatwaves can be more lethal. A recent heatwave across parts of the South and Midwest resulted in the death of over a dozen individuals.

The ongoing heatwave has caused minimal disruption in California. Local authorities have opened cooling centers for those without access to air conditioning, and extreme heat has led to the cancellation of horse racing at the California State Fair’s opening weekend.

Heat records are being shattered from California to Florida, with scorching heat hitting Europe and devastating floods occurring in the U.S. Northeast, India, Japan, and China. According to the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer, we’ve been experiencing record heat for almost the entirety of July.

Data from several weather agencies indicate that June was the warmest June on record. Scientists suggest that 2023 might possibly be recorded as the hottest year in history, tracing back to mid-19th century measurements.

Death Valley continues to set global heat records, known for its relentless, blistering heat. Though some weather experts have contested the accuracy of Death Valley’s century-old heat record, the area remains a significant point of reference for extreme temperatures on Earth.

While places like Iran’s Lut Desert may potentially reach similar temperatures as Death Valley, the lack of official weather stations due to their uninhabited status means we may never know, explains Christopher Burt, a weather historian.

Climate change, primarily fueled by human activities such as burning coal, oil, and natural gas, is causing temperatures to rise globally. Experts predict the situation could intensify next year due to the anticipated peak of the El Nino cycle.

This report comes courtesy of Borenstein in Washington and Beam in Sacramento, California.

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More about Death Valley Heatwave

• World Meteorological Organization
• National Weather Service
• Climate Reanalyzer
• The Weather Company
• University of Maine’s Climate Studies
• NOAA Climate Analysis
• Death Valley National Park