Death Valley National Park just had its hottest summer on record
Death Valley National Park, a desert in southwestern California known as the most scorching place on earth, just had its hottest summer in history.
The average temperature from June to August was 104.5 degrees, breaking previous records of 104.2 degrees, set in 2021 and 2018, according to the National Park Service.
This coincides with the Copernicus Climate Change Service's announcement that this summer was the hottest summer on Earth.
In July, Death Valley experienced nine consecutive days of 125 degrees or higher. National Park Service officials said the overnight temperatures - which averaged 91.9 degrees – played a role in the extreme heat. From June to August, temperatures sank below 80 degrees just five times.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Death Valley was 134 degrees in 1913. The park came close to breaking the record on July 7, 2024, when temperatures reached a staggering 129 degrees, the highest recorded temperature this summer. It was during a heat wave that baked the West Coast.
The extreme heat sparked multiple life-threatening incidents over the summer. In July, a 42-year-old tourist from Belgium was hospitalized after burning his feet on blistering sand dunes hotter than 123 degrees. Two people ultimately succumbed to the heat, including a 57-year-old man who died of heat exposure after driving his car off a steep 20-foot embankment, and another motorcyclist near Badwater Basin after riding through the park with a small brigade of other riders.
The scorching temperatures haven't stopped people from flocking to Death Valley to take in the sand dunes, canyons and hiking trails. Over 1 million people visit the desert enclave each year.
The National Park Service advised visitors that the stifling triple-digit temperatures will endure through early October.
"Visitors are advised to stay within a 10-minute walk of an air-conditioned vehicle, drink plenty of water, eat salty snacks, and wear a hat and sunscreen," a statement from the service says.