World record heat champ Death Valley sizzles to hottest summer in its history
The heat at Death Valley National Park this summer, which had 24 days in July over 120 degrees, has contributed to multiple life-threatening heat-related incidents.
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The hottest place on Earth just had its hottest meteorological summer on record, according to Death Valley National Park officials.
Running from June 1 through Aug. 31, meteorological summer at Death Valley saw an average 24-hour temperature of 104.5 degrees. This edged out the previous record of 104.2 degrees, set in 2021 and 2018. Records stretch back to 1911.
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NPS noted that July was the hottest month on record at the weather station at Furnace Creek. The park experienced temperatures of at least 120 degrees on all but seven days that month, reaching 125 degrees or higher for nine consecutive days.
Landscape of the Death Valley National Park, California, USA. Earth cracked and dried out because of the sun.
(Andia / Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
The month also saw the highest temperature this summer: A sweltering 129.2 degrees on July 7 that is only 5 degrees shy of its world record temperature.
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Even at night, the park received little respite from the heat, with the average low temperature of 91.9 degrees. During meteorological summer, the temperature fell below 80 degrees only five times, officials said. They added that there were nine days when overnight lows did not fall below 100 degrees.
Extreme heat becomes deadly
Robino’s vehicle below Natural Bridge parking lot.
(National Park Service / FOX Weather)
The heat at Death Valley National Park this summer has contributed to multiple life-threatening heat-related incidents.
In August, a park visitor died after becoming disoriented by the heat and then driving his car down an embankment. Park officials said an autopsy revealed that he had died of hyperthermia. They noted that, on the day the man passed away, Furnace Creek weather station recorded temperatures of 119 degrees.
In July, a motorcyclist died from heat exposure when the high was 128 degrees. NPS said the motorcyclist was one of a group of motorcyclists who were treated for severe heat illness, resulting from a combination of the heat and the necessary safety equipment worn while riding.
FILE - A heat advisory sign is shown along US highway 190 during a heat wave in Death Valley National Park in Death Valley, California, on July 16, 2023.
(RONDA CHURCHILL / AFP / Getty Images)
Also during the hottest month on record at the park, a park visitor from Belgium experienced second-degree burns on his feet after losing his shoes on the sand dunes. Park officials note the temperature of the ground that day would've been much hotter than the air temperature, which was about 123 degrees.
Park officials warn visitors of triple-digit temperatures to last into early October. Visitors are advised to stay within a 10-minute walk of an air-conditioned vehicle, drink plenty of water, eat salty snacks, and wear a hat and sunscreen.