Death Valley in east-central California is the hottest place on Earth. But a recent thermometer reading suggested an unearthly temperature spike. This week, the National Park Service (NPS) shared a photo on social media showing the thermometer display outside Death Valley National Park’s Furnace Creek Visitor Center. It read 667°F.
“IT SAYS IT’S 667 DEGREES OUTSIDE,” NPS wrote on Facebook.
On Instagram (same photo different caption), NPS jokes: “But it’s a ‘dry heat.’ 🔥”
But that’s impossible, right? Yes. Here’s NPS’s explanation:
“The thermometer display at Furnace Creek Visitor Center stopped working while displaying 667°F,” says the Facebook version of the caption. “Park staff say it was resetting itself after a power bump when the power completely went off during a now resolved outage that started Saturday, July 13.”
So, to be clear, it was not over 600 degrees at Death Valley National Park the other day. However, it is incredibly hot there.
“Death Valley National Park reached at least 125°F (51.7°C) for nine consecutive days, July 4-12,” NPS says. “Average high temperatures in July are 117°F (47°F). The recent heat wave included three daily heat records and peaked at 129.3°F (53.9°C) on July 7. This was the park’s second-longest streak of high temperatures at or above 125 degrees, just behind the ten-day streak measured in 1913.”
See how hot it wasn’t in Death Valley:
Hiking in the Heat
If you’re visiting a national park this summer, particularly one in the southwest—Arizona, California, Utah, etc.—do not underestimate the heat. The air temperature may not be over 600 degrees, but summer heat can be deadly.
(Seriously, some national parks are baking things on car dashboards.)
Limit your time in the sun, hike in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid the hottest parts of the day, bring more water than you think you need (and sip it continuously), and replenish your body’s electrolytes with an electrolyte drink or trail snacks.
Check out all of our tips for hiking in the desert.