The recent record temperature of 130° Fahrenheit in Death Valley California is possibly the new heat record worldwide.
Hottest in Death Valley?
Last August 16, 2020, Sunday, the region of Death Valley in California recorded its possibly highest heat reading ever at 130° Fahrenheit or 54.4° Celsius. It was recorded by the NWS or the National Weather Service, and if it is accurate, this is the hottest summer temperature in the area, higher by 3°F from the previous record.
This would thus count as the hottest recorded temperature in the Death Valley US National Park area within the last one hundred years, and possibly among the highest temperatures recorded worldwide.
Steve Krofchik of Las Vegas keeps cool with a bottle of ice on his head as the thermometer reads 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54.4 Celsius) at the Furnace Creek Visitors Center in Death Valley, California, U.S. August 17, 2020.
It may just be only one of the record high temperatures, and some are contesting if it is the highest overall. This is because the World Meteorological Organization has reported that the record temperature ever reached was 134° F, which was published last July 10, 1913. This was recorded at the Furnace Creek Ranch in Death Valley.
According to Christopher Burt, who checked the claim in 2016, the accuracy of the 134°F measurement is in doubt, as reported in the Weather Underground.
In 1931, in Kebili, Tunisia, a record temperature was also claimed, which was reported to be 131°F. According to a report, however, this claim is also in doubt.
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Second Highest Record and Other Reports
A temperature that has been recognized to be accurate counts as the second-highest temperature in the Death Valley region. This was reported at 129°F, which was registered last July 1 in 2013. The new temperature measurement this year, if accepted and confirmed, will be considered the first to surpass this one.
In the Southwest region, more local records were reported last Sunday. In particular, the average temperature recorded in one of the largest cities in the US is Phoenix, Arizona, with a sweltering summer registering an average July temperature of 99°F, according to a report by KTAR.com. Los Angeles also reported high record temperatures.
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These records have been showing what scientists have always feared that worldwide climatic conditions are continuously getting worse at a disturbingly rapid rate.
A particularly striking example is the wildfires plaguing the Arctic region for two consecutive years now, which prompted scientists to speculate that we are now entering a worldwide "fire regime." Such a situation was anticipated to occur only around the year 2050, as stated by even the most negative models predicting climate change.
Effects of the Heatwave
The measurement of 130° F was taken at precisely 3:41 PM PDT. According to The Los Angeles Times, a heatwave reported in the region has triggered a lot of wildfires and power outage incidents in the American Southwest region.
Authorities have provided ample warning to the public regarding the hazards brought by the heatwave. Areas on high alert include the National Park in Death Valley, the Mojave Desert and National Preserve, the Owens Valley, the Morongo Basin, and San Bernardino County's River Valley in Upper Colorado.
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