Living up to its name, Death Valley just recorded what may well be the hottest temperature in the history of the Earth: a staggering 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
The scorching temperature comes amid an ongoing heat wave extending from Arizona northward to the U.S.-Canada border in Washington, which placed 60 million people on heat-advisory watch and warning this week. But weatherwise, no location can rival the aptly name Furnace Creek in Death Valley, which broke records at approximately 3:41 p.m on Sunday. While Death Valley recorded a scorching temperature of 134 degrees Fahrenheit in 1913, the validity of the reading has long been disputed. Currently, the National Weather Service is working to verify the most recent reading, but experts believe it is reliable: Randy Cerveny, a head of the World Meteorological Organization, told the Washington Post that the record appears to be “a legitimate observation.”
Currently, the National Weather Service has classified the most recent recording as “preliminary” and is working to verify it. But experts believe this temperature is one for the books: Randy Cerveny, a head of the World Meteorological Organization, told the Washington Post that the record appears to be “a legitimate observation.”
And regardless, 130 degrees is extremely, worryingly hot. Describing the sensation of walking outside into the heat on an average August day, which typically hover around 115 degrees, an employee at Death Valley National Park told the BBC, “It’s like being hit in the face with a bunch of hairdryers. You feel the heat and it’s like walking into an oven and the heat is just all around you.” Imagine the extreme discomfort and danger one might experience at 130 degrees Fahrenheit, at which humans are at a dangerous risk of suffering from hyperthermia.
Just a little extra fodder for our collective climate anxiety!