100th Anniversary Summer News!
This year marks the 100 year anniversary of the day we set the world record for hottest place on earth. Keep an eye here for the latest news and updates.
We Celebrate The Heat!
On July 10th, 1913 Death Valley set the record for highest reliably recorded air temperature on earth with a scorching 134°F (56.7°C). While for some this may be a mere point of interest, for us here in Death Valley it’s a point of pride and a thing to celebrate.
In honor of the day we won the title of Hottest Place on Earth the National Weather Service, Weather Underground, and Death Valley National Park held, arguably, the hottest celebration on earth. About 140 people braved the 90+ degree temperatures to listen to rangers, metorologists and other experts talk about the record-setting temperature and other significant meteorological events in Death Valley's past.
If you missed the celebration, but still want a t-shirt, they can still be purchased in person at either the Furnace Creek Visitors Center or online via the Death Valley Natural History Association's website.
Hot Enough For You, now?
Even by Death Valley standards it has been HOT this summer. After some initial confusion, the high in June was documented at 129°F (Photographic evidence can be seen here). If certified, this will tie the June 23, 1902 record held by Volcano, a town that once existed near the Salton Sea, for hottest temperature ever recorded in June in the United States. Even for Death Valley it is unusually hot!
Does these record temperature mean that we may break our own record and top 134 this year? It’s anybody’s guess.
Either way, it’s going to be a scorching summer, so be sure to be prepared for the heat when you travel through the valley. Carry lots of water, wear wide brimmed hats, and loose fitting, light-colored clothing and, when possible, stay out of the sun.
I know that's a tall order here in Death Valley, but given our recent certification as a Dark Sky Park, we think you'll manage to find something to do and see in the evening and night-time hours.
It Ain't Getting Any Cooler!
Death Valley recently had a heat-streak, with five consecutive days having been over 120°F. The current record for death valley is 43 consecutive days with the temperature at or above 120°F, with 52 days total for that year (1917). Given the early heatwaves we've experienced this year here in the Mojave Desert, one dares to venture the possibility that we may surpass the 1917 record. Keep an eye here, we'll be updating this as the summer develops.
Presently the forecast is calling for a cool-off, with high temperatures dropping down to as low as a frigid 111°F, low temperatures as low as 88°F.
