Furnace Creek Death Valley National Park in southeastern California may hit 130 F degrees today for the first time in 100 years. The highest temperature ever recorded on earth and officially recognized by international committees of scientists occurred at Greenland Ranch (now called Furnace Creek), Death Valley July 10, 1913 when the thermometer hit 134 F.
Furnace Creek is where the main hotel lodge resort, golf course and park visitor center are located in Death Valley National Park.
A cool day May 28, 2013 when I stopped at Furnace Creek to find it was only 106F at 6:30pm.
Yesterday, June 28, 2013 the temperature at Death Valley reached 122 F. The temperature was actually hotter in Death Valley three weeks ago Saturday, June 8 when it hit 123 on the same day I was in Las Vegas (112) and Valley of Fire State Park (115), Nevada for record hot temperatures.
Yesterday was just the first day of the heat-up expected to last through Monday in Death Valley and much of California, Nevada and Arizona.
The temperature today is forecast by the National Weather Service to reach 129 F or 130 F at Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park. If the temperature hits 130 F, that will be the highest recorded temperature since July 10, 1913.
Badwater Basin is the lowest spot in North America at –282 feet. This is 14 miles south of Furnace Creek in Death Valley. The valley is surrounded by mountains on all four sides and hot air remains trapped and recirculates at night rather than escaping into the atmosphere. The overnight low tonight in Death Valley might not drop below 100 F.
The NWS reading currently at Stovepipe Wells, Death Valley at +80 feet elevation is 98 F at 6:00am this Saturday morning June 29, 2013. The air temperature rises as you descend into Death Valley and Furnace Creek is about 15 miles from Stovepipe Wells at –190 feet elevation.
There are scientific seminars planned in Death Valley National Park on July 10, 2013 for the centennial of the world record hottest temperature. Scientists will speak about Death Valley weather and explain why the World Meteorological Society in 2012 overturned the longstanding Libya temperature record of 136 F in 1922 in favor of the July 10, 1913 Death Valley measurement as the official ‘world’s hottest temperature’.
Today: Sunny. Highs 104 to 107 in the mountains…around 130 at furnace creek. Winds generally light becoming south around 10 mph with gusts to around 20 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows 75 to 78 in the mountains…around 100 at furnace creek. South wind 10 to 15 mph shifting to the southwest after midnight.
Sunday: Sunny. Highs 106 to 109 in the mountains…around 130 at furnace creek. Northwest wind under 10 mph shifting to the south around 10 mph in the afternoon.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear. Lows 76 to 79 in the mountains… Around 100 at furnace creek. Southwest wind around 10 mph.
Monday: Sunny. Highs 104 to 107 in the mountains…around 130 at furnace creek. West wind under 10 mph.
Monday Night Through Thursday Night: Mostly clear. Lows 86 to 89. Highs 114 to 117.National Weather Service Forecast June 29-July 4, 2013
Excessive Heat Warning
* TIMING: A PROLONGED PERIOD OF EXCEEDINGLY HOT TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY. LITTLE RELIEF IS EXPECTED AT NIGHT…ESPECIALLY IN URBAN AREAS SUCH AS THE LAS VEGAS VALLEY WHERE LOW TEMPERATURES NEAR THE STRIP AND DOWNTOWN MAY NOT DROP BELOW 90 DEGREES. *
GREATEST IMPACTS: THIS HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE A LIFE- THREATENING HEAT EVENT FOR THOSE AT RISK. A TOTAL OF 17 PEOPLE DIED FROM HEAT-RELATED CAUSES IN THE LAS VEGAS VALLEY FROM JULY 14TH TO 23RD IN 2005…WHEN TEMPERATURES WERE OBSERVED AT OR ABOVE 112 FROM THE 14TH TO 17TH. THE PEAK TEMPERATURE DURING THAT PERIOD WAS 117.
Three weeks ago was record breaking temperatures in Las Vegas during the week I was there. The high temperature in Las Vegas was 112 F on Saturday, June 8.
I have been invited to a Hyatt Hotels and MGM Mlife event for July 17 in Las Vegas. I anticipate a hot time in Vegas again.
Badwater Road, Death Valley National Park, California. Does it look like 105 F at 7pm?
Related Loyalty Traveler posts:
Bottom to Top of California in Six Hours (May 17, 2013) Describing my road trip from Death Valley, the lowest point in California to the highest hotel lodge in California at 9,000 feet in a six hour drive.
Deserted desert hotel at Furnace Creek Inn Death Valley (May 23, 2013) – this is a historic inn built in the 1920s and visited by famous movie stars like Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. The Inn closes May to October since there is no air-conditioning. Furnace Creek Resort is one mile north and open year-round for Death Valley visitors.
TBEX Toronto via Death Valley–part 1 (May 29, 2013) – road trip description of the drive from Bakersfield past Lake Isabella and over Walker Pass in the Sierra Nevada and the western approach to Death Valley National Park.
TBEX Toronto via Death Valley-Part 2 (May 29, 2013) – road trip description of crossing Panamint Mountains into Death Valley and stops at Stovepipe Wells, Sand Dunes, Furnace Creek and Badwater Basin.
Ric Garrido, writer and content owner of Loyalty Traveler, shares news and views on hotels, hotel loyalty programs and vacation destinations for frequent guests.
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