Death Valley National Park set another record in July.
According to the National Weather Service, the average temperature recorded in the area considered the hottest place on Earth in July was 108.5 degrees, breaking the previous record of 108.1 degrees in July 2018.
The average high temperature last month in Death Valley was 121.9 degrees, tying the record set in July 1917.
The National Weather Service maintains a temperature sensor at Furnace Creek in Death Valley.
“It's pretty hot out there,” said Morgan Stessman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Las Vegas.
Further south, a California city near the Arizona border also recorded a new record for the country's highest average monthly temperature.
Needles averaged 103.2 degrees in July, surpassing Phoenix's highest average temperature in July 2023 of 102.7 degrees, according to the Arizona State Climate Office.
More severe temperatures are possible. Meteorologist Stessman said there is a 50% to 60% chance that Death Valley will see above-normal temperatures during the month of August.
Death Valley, a long, narrow basin near the Nevada border, lies 86 meters below sea level. The mountains trap warm air and circulate the heat like a convection oven.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Death Valley was 134 degrees on July 10, 1913. The average high temperature that month was 116.5 degrees.
In July, a European tourist in Death Valley lost skin on his feet when he lost his flip-flops in the sand dunes, park officials said. Also in July, a cyclist died in Death Valley.
Heat makes rescue efforts difficult. When temperatures exceed 120 degrees, a medical helicopter cannot access the park. Air expands when it gets hot, becoming thinner than cold air, and helicopters can't get the lift they need to fly.
Trees and wildlife are also suffering. Study 2022 found that thousands of trees have died at Telescope Peak, the highest point in Death Valley, since 2013.
Another 2019 study found that about one-third of Death Valley's bird species have declined over the past 100 years due to heat stress associated with climate change.
