Death Valley's scalding temperatures draw visitors: What does 128 degrees feel like?

While most of the Southwest was advised to take cover from heat, visitors flocked to Death Valley National Park to experience some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded, according to meteorologists.

Dozens of people − some jokingly wearing fur coats − gathered Sunday afternoon to snap a picture by the thermometer at Death Valley, which runs along Central California’s border with Nevada and has long been known for its record-breaking heat.

On Sunday, temperatures in Furnace Creek in Death Valley reached 128 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the National Weather Service.

Furnace Creek previously recorded the hottest-ever temperature on Earth at 134 degrees in July 1913. Temperatures at or above 130 have only been recorded on Earth a handful of times, mostly in Death Valley.

A woman stands near a digital display of an unofficial heat reading at Furnace Creek Visitor Center during a heat wave in Death Valley National Park in Death Valley, California, on July 16, 2023. California's famous Death Valley, one of the hottest places on Earth, reached 128 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday.

“With global warming, such temperatures are becoming more and more likely to occur,” Randy Ceverny, the World Meteorological Organization’s records coordinator, said to the Associated Press. “Long-term: Global warming is causing higher and more frequent temperature extremes. Short-term: This particular weekend is being driven by a very, very strong upper-level ridge of high pressure over the western U.S.”

Summer swelter:Earth just had its hottest June on record

William Cadwallader lives in Las Vegas, where temperatures reached 116 degrees on Sunday, nearing the all-time high of 117 degrees. But Cadwallader said he’s been visiting Death Valley during the summer for years just to say he’s been to the hottest place on Earth.

“I just want to go to a place, sort of like Mount Everest, to say, you know, you did it,” he told the Associated Press.

Death Valley temperature forecast, weather

The forecasted daily highs for Death Valley could reach as high as 125 degrees at Furnace Creek on Monday, according to the National Weather Service, which adds that winds could pick up to 20 mph in the afternoon.

Daily high temperatures are expected to surpass 120 degrees every day through Sunday, per the weather service.

The visitors center at Furnace Creek has a humidity level of 16% Monday morning.

Where is Furnace Creek?

Furnace Creek is an unincorporated community within Death Valley National Park. It’s home to the park’s visitor center, which includes a digital thermometer popular with tourists.

What does 128-degree heat feel like?

Visitors to the park describe being able to feel the heat in their bones and the hot air drying out their eyes. Don’t expect the sweet relief of a breeze; that feels like someone turning on a hot hair dryer.

An individual’s reaction to extreme heat depends on their acclimation to the climate, dress, exertion level and any pre-existing conditions, according to the National Weather Service. Nonetheless, temperatures this high pose a dangerous risk to the body.

If the body can’t cool itself down through sweating or reducing body heat, the risk of heat exhaustion and stroke grows.

Summer 2023 breaking heat records

For nearly all of July, the world has been in uncharted hot territory, according to the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer.

This June was also the hottest June on record, according to several weather agencies. Scientists say there is a decent chance that 2023 will go down as the hottest year on record, with measurements going back to the middle of the 19th century.

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Heat waves sweep the nation

Over 80 million people were under excessive heat warnings or heat advisories Monday morning, according to the weather service.

Heat advisories, watches and warnings have impacted nearly 100 million people, or almost a third of Americans, over the past 30 days as summer temperatures kick in across the country. Temperatures in some desert areas were predicted to soar past 120 degrees during the day and remain in the 90s overnight.