Death Valley hits 130 degrees, thought to be highest temperature on Earth in over a century

Death Valley hits 130 degrees, thought to be highest temperature on Earth in over a century

Laura Newberry             August 17, 2020
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park. The temperature in Death Valley hit 130 degrees Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. It could also be among the top-three highest temperatures to have ever been measured there. <span class="copyright">(Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)</span>
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park. The temperature in Death Valley hit 130 degrees Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. It could also be among the top-three highest temperatures to have ever been measured there. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Temperatures in Death Valley skyrocketed to a blistering 130 degrees on Sunday — possibly the highest mercury reading on Earth since 1913.

If the National Weather Service’s recording is correct, it would also be among the top-three highest temperatures to have ever been measured in Death Valley, as well as the highest temperature ever seen there during the month of August.

The temperature in Death Valley hit 130 degrees at 3:41 p.m. Sunday, the National Weather Service said in a tweet.

Death Valley holds the record for the highest temperature ever recorded on the planet: 134 degrees in 1913, according to Guinness World Records. That reading has been disputed, however.

Since then, a 129-degree reading was recorded in Death Valley in 2013.

The reading comes amid an epic heat wave that continues to grip most of the southwestern U.S.

Multiple daily heat records were set Saturday. The National Weather Service reported a high of 112 in Woodland Hills, breaking the record of 108 set in 1977, and a high of 92 at UCLA, breaking the record of 90 set in 2003. Downtown Los Angeles hit 98 degrees, tying a record set in 1994.

Author: John Hanno

Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Bogan High School. Worked in Alaska after the earthquake. Joined U.S. Army at 17. Sergeant, B Battery, 3rd Battalion, 84th Artillery, 7th Army. Member of 12 different unions, including 4 different locals of the I.B.E.W. Worked for fortune 50, 100 and 200 companies as an industrial electrician, electrical/electronic technician.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *