US: Death Valley records hottest month ever in July

Los Angeles: Death Valley, one of the hottest locations in the world at the height of summer, just experienced the hottest month on record this July, with an average 24-hour temperature of 108.5 degrees Fahrenheit (42.5 degrees Celsius), said US Death Valley National Park officials.

Park officials noted in a news release that this beats the park's previous record of 108.1 degrees Fahrenheit (42.3 degrees Celsius) set in 2018, Xinhua news agency reported.

The average high temperature during the record-breaking month was a sweltering 121.9 degrees Fahrenheit (49.9 degrees Celsius), with the park experiencing nine days 125 degrees Fahrenheit (51.7 degrees Celsius) or greater and only seven days that didn't reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit (48.9 degrees Celsius).

The highest temperature came on July 7 when the weather station at the park's Furnace Creek area recorded 129.2 degrees Fahrenheit (54 degrees Celsius), according to the news release.

Park officials pointed out that "high temperatures only tell half the story," as the average low temperature of 95.2 degrees Fahrenheit (35.1 degrees Celsius) meant that there was little relief overnight.

"We just experienced the hottest month in history in the hottest place on Earth! Six of the 10 hottest summers have come in the past 10 years, which should serve as a wake-up call," said Mike Reynolds, the superintendent of Death Valley National Park. "Record-breaking months like this one could become the norm as we continue to see global temperatures rise," he added.

Death Valley National Park rangers responded to multiple life-threatening heat-related incidents in July, including one fatality where heat was a factor and another incident where a man had to be rescued from sand dunes after losing his flip-flops and experiencing second-degree burns.

Park rangers urge summer travellers to Death Valley National Park to stay within a 10-minute walk of an air-conditioned vehicle, drink plenty of water, eat salty snacks, and wear a hat and sunscreen.

Death Valley, located between the US states of California and Nevada, is the hottest, lowest and driest place in the country. The world's highest air temperature of 134 degrees Fahrenheit (56.7 degrees Celsius) was recorded at Furnace Creek in the park on July 10, 1913, according to the US National Park Service.