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Severe heat wave July 2021 in the southwest - possible world record


Vegas1977
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Just putting this out there - based on current modelling for Saturday and Sunday Death Valley may well not only break the world record hottest temperature (129.9F or 54.4C recorded last year at Furnace Creek) but it also will break the magical 132F barrier. Both GFS and EC are consistently modelling 850hpa temps of 100F for Death Valley for those days which at -80m asl for Furnace Creek weather station easily equates to 131F and Sunday especially could see 133F. Things can change over the next 5 days obviously but this could be one for the record books...

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I thought the world record temp was 134.1F (56.7C) at Furnace Creek on 7/10/1913.  This replaced the previous "record" of 136F in Aziziya, Libya on 9/13/1922, which was invalidated by the WMO in 2012.

I know the 134.1F temp is not believed by some, which is understandable...but the WMO currently lists it as the world record.  The WMO was quoted as follows: "We accept this Death Valley temperature extreme record. Obviously, if any new materials on it surface, we will be prepared to open an investigation, but at this time all available evidence points to its legitimacy."

Anyway - the current NWS forecast for Death Valley (Furnace Creek) shows a max temp of 128 over the next 7 days.  I agree they may be playing it a bit conservatively, as it's 5 days out.  I think 129 is possible, not sure about 130+.

Wednesday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 125. South wind 6 to 10 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 100. Southeast wind 5 to 11 mph.

Thursday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 125. South wind 7 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 99.

Friday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 125.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 100.

Saturday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 127.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 101.

Sunday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 128.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 102.

Monday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 127.

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Yeah you are correct in saying that the 1913 134F temp is still recognized but I have read a few in depth articles that really do cast serious doubt on those temps with the most compelling argument the fact that NONE of the surrounding stations recorded temps that day anywhere near what they should have if Death Valley was 134F. But anyway back to this event Sunday is still on track to break 130F with EC projecting 850hpa temps of 100F for Death Valley which can easily translate into 130F at the Furnace Creek station - I notice now that NWS is also forecasting 130F for Death Valley on Sunday as well...

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1 hour ago, Vegas1977 said:

Yeah you are correct in saying that the 1913 134F temp is still recognized but I have read a few in depth articles that really do cast serious doubt on those temps with the most compelling argument the fact that NONE of the surrounding stations recorded temps that day anywhere near what they should have if Death Valley was 134F. But anyway back to this event Sunday is still on track to break 130F with EC projecting 850hpa temps of 100F for Death Valley which can easily translate into 130F at the Furnace Creek station - I notice now that NWS is also forecasting 130F for Death Valley on Sunday as well...

Should be interesting to follow the temps later this week, and to see how high the daily mins will be too (the air isn't as dry as it is during May/June).  It stayed above 100 overnight last night, and may do so for the next several nights...yikes.

Currently 122/46/115 at Furnace Creek.

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Note that Furnace Creek is where the official obs are taken for Death Valley. That’s not quite as low elevation as the point & click forecast above. NWS going with 129 on both Sat and Sun for Furnace Creek.

What’s interesting to me is there will be some humidity…so overnight mins could be extreme. I could see low temps around 105 over the weekend; could be all-time high mins?

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Wow...looks like Furnace Creek hit 130F this afternoon, even before the peak heat is expected tomorrow and Sunday.  The temp sensor may need to be looked at closely, as it jumped 4F in one hour very late in the afternoon (between 4pm - 5pm local time).  Kind of unusual, but I suppose it could happen.  Winds went calm, which probably enhanced the heat in the deep valley (near 200' below sea level).

Dew is fairly high too, at 48.  Heat index 121.

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16 hours ago, beavis1729 said:

Wow...looks like Furnace Creek hit 130F this afternoon, even before the peak heat is expected tomorrow and Sunday.  The temp sensor may need to be looked at closely, as it jumped 4F in one hour very late in the afternoon (between 4pm - 5pm local time).  Kind of unusual, but I suppose it could happen.  Winds went calm, which probably enhanced the heat in the deep valley (near 200' below sea level).

Dew is fairly high too, at 48.  Heat index 121.

I saw just now that this verified* and is being reported in the news. So Furnace Creek recorded the highest temperature on Earth since 1931 in Tunisia(second highest temp ever there then at 131). Damn. 

 

*Okay they are reporting it but apparently not yet officially verified. 

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Is the Furnace Creek temperature still measured at the same location as was the 1913 record?

Iirc, there was a discussion about the location a few years back, with skeptics claiming that the site had been shifted to a hotter location, hotter because it was less exposed, sort of NYC Central Park in reverse..

I've no idea whether that is in fact valid in this case, but it does point to one of the difficulties encountered in maintaining consistent records.

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