If you Amazoned a handful of desk fans and cowered in the shade the last time a heatwave was in town, spare a thought for the folks who call America’s Death Valley National Park home.
The vast desert, which is close to the border between Nevada and California, is known as one of the hottest places on the planet. But on Sunday (August 16) things were turned up a notch.
A temperature of 130F or 54.4C was recorded near Furnace Creek in the National Park this weekend.
The number is currently being verified by the US National Weather Service, and if it is confirmed will be the hottest temperature ever ‘reliably’ recorded on earth. There was a higher recording over a century ago at 134F or 56.6C, but it is widely disputed. The previous trusted record for the highest temperature ever recorded on earth was 129.2F or 54C, also in Death Valley in 2013.
‘It’s an oppressive heat and it’s in your face,’ Brandi Stewart, who works at Death Valley National Park, told the BBC this week, adding: ‘When you walk outside it’s like being hit in the face with a bunch of hairdryers. You feel the heat and it’s like walking into an oven and the heat is just all around you.’
The recording comes as the US West Coast is in the grips of a heatwave, with temperatures set to continue to soar throughout the week. Someone send desk fans!
Fancy a visit once things have cooled down a little? Here’s our guide to the best National Parks in the US.
These 14 stunning National Parks are all within driving distance of LA.