A long, hot summer: Death Valley breaks multiple heat records, park says
Death Valley was the hottest place on Earth this summer and it shattered numerous heat records, the National Park Service said.
From June through August — the meteorological summer — Death Valley had an average temperature of 102.7, according to the National Park Service.
“This makes 2020 the fourth hottest summer on record, following 2018 (1st), 2017 (2nd), and 2016 (3rd) and marking a continued record of a changing climate,” the park service said in a news released.
While it may not have been the hottest summer on record, the season still produced a steady diet of dry heat and broke several records.
The park, which sits on the California-Nevada border, usually averages 18 days that are 120 degrees or more, officials said. But in 2020, it saw 35 days of 120 degrees or more. It also was hotter than 100 degrees for six nights, when normally that’s only about 0.5 nights, according to the National Park Service.
The hottest day was on Aug. 16, when temperatures soared to a sweat-drenched 130 degrees.
That’s “the hottest temperature recorded in the park since 1913, and possibly the hottest temperature in the world since 1931,” the park said. “A final verification process will be overseen by a climate extremes committee.”
It was 134 degrees on July 10, 1913, at Furnace Creek in Death Valley, according to the National park Service. The sparse plant coverage in the park helps the sun heat up the desert surface, and that heat radiates from rocks and soil, becoming “trapped in the valley’s death,” NPS said.
The daily average high temperature of 118.8 for August set a record as the “hottest average high temperature for the month,” according to the NPS.
“Heat records were set for both daily high, and highest daily low temperatures across many of the hottest months of the year: 6 in May, 1 in June, 1 in July, 12 in August, and 3 to date in September,” the National Park Service said.
In July, people reported that the extreme heat in the park was making their cars break down, McClatchy News reported.
“...Excessive heat caused at least three vehicles in the park to break down from overheated engines, which can quickly turn fatal if passengers are stranded in this climate without air conditioning,” Death Valley National Park officials said on Facebook. “Fortunately, rangers were available to respond and no major medical incidents were reported.”
While the summer has ended, fall weather has not yet found its way to Death Valley. Wednesday’s high temperature is expected to hit 110 degrees in Furnace Creek, according to the National Weather Service.
“Death Valley National Park is known for its extreme temperatures, and this year certainly didn’t disappoint when it comes to heat!” Superintendent Mike Reynolds said in the news release. “It is exciting to live and work in a place that is literally the hottest place on Earth. I’m proud to work with a resilient team of employees who have chosen to embrace the heat and carry out the mission of the National Park Service here.”
This story was originally published September 23, 2020 at 12:30 PM with the headline "A long, hot summer: Death Valley breaks multiple heat records, park says."