Economy

8 Hottest Days in US History Were in Death Valley

Paul Ausick

Published: June 5, 2016 9:04 am

Last Updated: January 13, 2020 7:12 am

No place in the U.S. gets hotter than Death Valley. For that matter, no place on earth has gotten hotter since July 10, 1913, when the temperature hit 134 degrees Fahrenheit (F). And the 8 hottest days on record in the U.S. all occurred in Death Valley, the most recent, July 12, 2012, when the temperature hit 128 degrees F.

Since that 134 degree reading in 1913, Death Valley has recorded 3 days when temperatures reached 129 degrees F and 4 days when the heat rose to 128 degrees F. Lake Havasu City, Arizona, reached 128 degrees F on June 29, 1994, and Gold Rock Ranch, California, reached 127 degrees F on July 28, 1995, rounding out the top 10 highest recorded temperatures in the U.S.

But Death Valley ranks just 14th as the place with the highest annual average temperature in the U.S., behind such hotspots as Key West and just ahead of Waikiki. The highest average annual temperature, 78.5 degrees F, is posted in Marathon, Florida, while Furnace Creek in Death Valley can manage an annual average of 77.2 degrees F. That’s due to the much colder winter temperatures in Death Valley.

When it comes to the most days in a year with temperatures in the triple digits, Death Valley is again a clear winner with 140 days of 100+ degree temperatures. And when the view is stretched out over 10 years, Death Valley is even more dominant, with 803 days of 100+ degree heat, about 3 times as many as runner-up Lake Havasu City.

Sure, it may be a dry heat, but that only means that the heat feels more like a blast furnace than a sauna.