# Death Valley hits 130 degrees **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 1, 2013, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-valley-hits-130-degrees/662311 "2013-07-01T02:07:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-valley-hits-130-degrees/662311/1 "2013-07-01T02:07:31Z")
From a photo a saw, apparently Furnace Creek in Death Valley hit 130 degrees today. Furnace Creek is about 192 feet below sea level. If someone would have driven over to Badwater (282 below sea level) would they have gotten an even higher reading seeing how its about 90 feet below Furnace Creek in elevation? I wonder why the [weather.com](http://weather.com) people didn’t set up a sophisticated highly accurate thermometer at Badwater to see if they could record a record temperature there (134 degrees). ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-valley-hits-130-degrees/662311/2 "2013-07-01T02:43:09Z")
The official readings today were 128° (National Weather Service) and 129.9° (National Park Service, 200 yds away). The 130° thermometer is more of a “photo-op for tourists” and isn’t considered a reading of record. > **[Heat Wave: Death Valley hits 128 degrees -- or is it 129?](https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-xpm-2013-jun-30-la-me-ln-heat-wave-death-valley-hits-128-degrees-or-is-it-129-20130630-story.html)** > > Heat Wave: Death Valley hits 128 degrees -- or is it 129? Hottest I’ve ever been in my life was 124° in Baker (CA) about halfway between LA and Vegas. Just a few minutes outside in the shade were nearly disabling. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-valley-hits-130-degrees/662311/3 "2013-07-01T03:08:15Z")
I’ve experienced 80°C (176°F) for a relatively short time, but that was in an environment test chamber. No, it was not pleasant. Less pleasant than walking into the same chamber at -40°. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-valley-hits-130-degrees/662311/4 "2013-07-01T03:18:17Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > I’ve experienced 80°C (176°F) for a relatively short time, but that was in an environment test chamber. No, it was not pleasant. Less pleasant than walking into the same chamber at -40°. Is it even possible to breathe through your nose under those conditions without it burning painfully? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-valley-hits-130-degrees/662311/5 "2013-07-01T03:56:16Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Hottest I’ve ever been in my life was 124° in Baker (CA) about halfway between LA and Vegas. Just a few minutes outside in the shade were nearly disabling. SPEAKING OF WHICH, does anybody know the current status of the [huge thermometer there](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_tallest_thermometer)? Is it still defunct? Is it still standing? Is it still in workable condition? ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-valley-hits-130-degrees/662311/6 "2013-07-01T07:29:16Z")
My wife and I Regularly experience temperatures above 80c for 10-15 minutes at a time. Granted, we are both naked at the time with a cool pool and a beer waiting for us but still, bloody hot. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-valley-hits-130-degrees/662311/7 "2013-07-01T15:40:54Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > Is it even possible to breathe through your nose under those conditions without it burning painfully? 80°C isn’t too bad initially; air is a rather poor thermal conductor so it isn’t like you’re going to burst into flames immediately. It’s more like “Wow, it’s really warm in here. Like _really_ warm. Holy Shit it’s hot.” Now, with -40, your nose hairs freeze _instantly,_ and you can feel when that happens. in any case, safety rules said that nobody could be inside the chambers for more than a short time (I forget how long) and had to have supervision from someone outside the chamber looking in and watching what you were doing. coldest our chambers could theoretically reach was -73°C just based on the capabilities of the refrigeration, but in practice leakage made that nearly impossible to reach with the walk-in/drive in chambers. Plus, none of the testing we did needed temps that low, I think -50°C was the lowest. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-valley-hits-130-degrees/662311/8 "2013-07-01T16:22:27Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > My wife and I Regularly experience temperatures above 80c for 10-15 minutes at a time. > Granted, we are both naked at the time with a cool pool and a beer waiting for us but still, bloody hot. Yeah, isn’t 80-90C pretty standard sauna temperature? I’m sure that when I’ve been in saunas equipped with a thermometer they have typically been in that range. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-valley-hits-130-degrees/662311/9 "2013-07-01T17:46:48Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > SPEAKING OF WHICH, does anybody know the current status of the [huge thermometer there](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_tallest_thermometer)? Is it still defunct? Is it still standing? Is it still in workable condition? The thermometer hasn’t been working for years. The building was used as a NPS visitor center for a while, but when I was in Baker in May, it was vacant. ---
**Author:** ![Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrogance_ex_machina/32/192_2.png) [@Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrogance_Ex_Machina)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-valley-hits-130-degrees/662311/10 "2013-07-01T18:01:07Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Yeah, isn’t 80-90C pretty standard sauna temperature? I’m sure that when I’ve been in saunas equipped with a thermometer they have typically been in that range. Yes, 80-90 C is completely normal for saunas. I’ve been in 110 C or so, maybe even 120 C, but that sort of temperature is more a “let’s see what we can stand” thing than actually enjoyable. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-valley-hits-130-degrees/662311/11 "2013-07-01T18:02:22Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Yeah, isn’t 80-90C pretty standard sauna temperature? I’m sure that when I’ve been in saunas equipped with a thermometer they have typically been in that range. Yeah, pretty standard. Some of the crazy Finns knock it up a notch but that gets too uncomfortable too quick. About 80-85C gives you that nice 10-15 minute window. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-valley-hits-130-degrees/662311/12 "2013-07-01T18:04:35Z")
I’ve been watching [this page](http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/getobext.php?wfo=&sid=ISWC1&num=72), which is a thermometer in Stovepipe Wells, which is the closest thermometer to Furnace Creek that is updated automatically online. When Stovepipe hit 126 on Sunday afternoon I thought for sure Furnace Creek would reach 130, but alas, only the unofficial thermometer did (and then only by rounding). Looks like today’s the last day that a 130 temperature is possible in the near future. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-valley-hits-130-degrees/662311/13 "2013-07-01T23:04:37Z")
some of the same weather giving this heat in the west is also gave Fairbanks Alaska a high temp of 92 in June. ---
**Author:** ![CanTak3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@CanTak3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanTak3)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-valley-hits-130-degrees/662311/14 "2013-07-02T00:19:12Z")
Off topic factoid: The Guiness Book of World Records mentions that in the 60s, the United States Air Force subjected naked men to temperatures of 400ºF and clothed men up to 500ºF (204ºC and 260ºC respectively). There were no side effects. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-valley-hits-130-degrees/662311/15 "2013-07-02T00:25:07Z")
> [@CanTak3](#): > > Off topic factoid: The Guiness Book of World Records mentions that in the 60s, the United States Air Force subjected naked men to temperatures of 400ºF and clothed men up to 500ºF (204ºC and 260ºC respectively). > > There were no side effects. That’s the temperature of a nice oven for cooking a roast! How long were they in there? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-valley-hits-130-degrees/662311/16 "2013-07-02T00:30:06Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > That’s the temperature of a nice oven for cooking a roast! How long were they in there? Medium rare. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-valley-hits-130-degrees/662311/17 "2013-07-02T13:33:27Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > That’s the temperature of a nice oven for cooking a roast! How long were they in there? I’m guessing a very, very short time. But as said, air is a terrible conductor of heat. I mean…you don’t burn your arm just reaching into the oven to take out your cake/pie/whatever, right? Yeah, it’s not as hot as you actually set it to, since you opened the door and let a lot of heat out, but it’s still very hot and would _eventually_ burn you if you left your arm in there. Contrast that to water, which is a comparatively very good conductor of heat. Reaching your arm into even 200 F degree water for a second or two would result in massive burns, but you could stand a few seconds of that it if were dry air. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-valley-hits-130-degrees/662311/18 "2013-07-02T14:18:23Z")
Indeed, if you ignore lungs and eyes and only look at skin you could probably stand even higher temperatures temporarily. I know that in order to withstand the florida heat when walking from the parking lot to my work, I pump up the AC to uncomfortably low temps in my car, and even halfway across the parking lot my skin is still noticably colder than if I hadn’t turned on the AC. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-valley-hits-130-degrees/662311/19 "2013-07-03T01:00:03Z")
On the hot day (Sunday?) a fellow went to Badwater with his digital thermometer and got a 135.5 reading, which is hotter than any official reading anywhere, ever. The problem is that official temps are measured with official equipment in standard little white wooden boxes a specified distance from the ground, etc. Those boxes give daily info to various agencies that turn it over the the NWS. There is no such box at Badwater. The geography at Badwater, right next to a mountain and at very low altitude will yield higher air pressures, increasing temperature per the gas laws, and should be the hottest non-geothermal natural place on the planet. But it might not qualify for a white box for the same sort of reasons: you expect extreme temps there. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-valley-hits-130-degrees/662311/20 "2013-07-03T01:16:13Z")
There’s always an option to cool off when you’re in Death Valley…[the pool at Furnace Creek Ranch](https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/VTPgUQJydg4y9NVljrLAe9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink). I think the day use fee is around $5. The [pool at the Furnace Creek Inn](http://160knots.com/images/Death%20Valley/FCI%20Pool.JPG) is even nicer, but you have to be a guest to use it. There’s also a [pool at Stovepipe Wells](http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/44/69/d5/swimming-pool.jpg), but it doesn’t compare to the other two. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-valley-hits-130-degrees/662311.md?page=2)