Hotter than ell: Death Valley's record-breaking temperatures continue

Death Valley, one of the hottest places on earth, has experienced the most extreme summer in its history. A new heat record was set with an average 24-hour temperature of 40.3 degrees Celsius from June to August. This surpassed the previous record of 40.1 degrees, which was reached in 2018 and 2021. Even at night, it remained swelteringly hot, with an average low temperature of 33.3 degrees, according to ‘CNN’.

In July, temperatures of 51.7 degrees Celsius or higher were recorded at the Furnace Creek weather station in the park for nine consecutive days, while there were only seven days on which it did not reach at least 48.9 degrees Celsius. The hottest day of the summer was 7 July, when the temperature reached 54 degrees.

The extreme temperatures also led to tragic incidents: park rangers were repeatedly called out to heat-related emergencies, including two deaths in which the heat played a decisive role. One particularly dramatic incident occurred when a man lost his flip-flops in the sand dunes and burned his feet so badly that he had to be rescued.

In September, daytime temperatures remained almost constantly above 40 degrees, with highs of 47 degrees. And even this week, at the beginning of October, it is still scorching hot in Death Valley, with temperatures between 43 and 46 degrees.

Visitors are strongly advised never to venture more than ten minutes' walk from an air-conditioned vehicle, to drink enough water, eat salty snacks and protect themselves from the unforgiving sun with a hat and sunscreen.