Think it’s hot where you live? We’d wager there is a chance Death Valley has you beat in that regard. One of the hottest places on earth just recently broke it’s own record by getting even hotter. Death Valley National Park has now officially set a new record for the hottest summer (June through August) on record.
During this period, they recorded an average temperature of 104.5°F (thats approximately 40.3°C for our Celsius-using friends). According to the NPS (National Park Service), this beats the previous record of 104.2°F set back in 2018, and then matched in 2021. Apparently the sun wasn’t satisfied and kicked things up a notch — or several.
And while opening the windows in the nighttime is the foolproof solution to beat the heat, the temperatures remained upwards of 91°F as lows. Interesting definition of “cooling down”. In fact, during the entire summer months, temperatures dipped below 80°F a total of five times.
Particularly, July was nasty. Furnace Creek lived up to its name — it recorded the hottest month ever where it endured nine consecutive days of 125°F (or more) temperatures. There were seven blessed days where temperatures did not reach 120°F. Tragically, this extreme heat led to two people losing their lives in the park this summer.
So, if you’re planning a visit to this great national park, it should come as no surprise that the summer months are not the ideal time to come, especially as these temperatures are likely to last until October. If you are planning on visiting, be sure the air conditioning in your car is in tip top shape, and you have plenty of road trip snacks.
