DEATH VALLEY: Death Valley has set a new record for the hottest month ever recorded this July with an average of 108 degrees Fahrenheit – breaking its own figure of 107.94 from the same month last year.
The astonishing figure comes from readings taken daily by volunteers from a weather station outside the Furnace Creek Visitor Center, which has been monitoring the California landmark since 1961.
A slightly higher monthly average of 1.08.5F was recorded at Dehloran, Iran, in July 2000. However, this figure appears to be inaccurate as nearby weather stations were not as hot, climate researcher Brian Brettschneider told The Washington Post.
Visitors have been flocking to Death Valley in their thousands this summer to bask in the searing heat.
The depth and structure of the Valley influence its high temperatures. It is a long, narrow basin 282 feet below sea level with high mountains on either side that trap in the heat. The dry air and lack of plant cover also help to heat the desert floor.
But the dramatic highs can be dangerous – with at least one person dying in July from the heat. Elsewhere in California, at least six people have died in wildfires.
In the Valley, temperatures soared to 127 degrees from July 24 to 27, setting records for each of those four dates.
Those came close to the highest accurate temperature ever taken in the Valley during recent decades of 129F on June 30, 2013.
The area lays claim to the highest temperature on earth – 134 degrees on July 10, 1913 – but this figure has been called into question by experts.
But heat-seekers hoping for a repeat of this could be down on their luck, as temperatures are set to dip over the weekend to 113 degrees on Sunday, according to AccuWeather.