Hot weather at Furnace Creek - Death Valley in California June / July 2009
Over the past few weeks, I have been watching the weather conditions at Furnace Creek located in Death Valley in Eastern California.
Over the past few days some remarkable high temperatures have been occurring here but what prompted this thread is that a forecast maximum temperature of 121F to 122F has been suggested for Monday 29 June 2009 specific for an area near Furnace Creek. That is around 49 to 50 degrees Celsius which is the first such forecast for this summer. However what is more remarkable is that just before writing this post, the temperature here was 43 degrees Celsius or 110F and it was midnight.
The Furnace Creek Weather Station is located at Latitude 36.47 degrees North and 116.78 degrees west at an elevation of minus 189 feet or approximately 56 metres below sea level. The hourly weather forecast for this site for 28 and 29 June 2009 is available and shows the following:-
12 midnight - 109F which is 43 degrees (Current at the time of writing the post).
Expected temperatures by the hour for 29 June 2009.
2 am - 100F which is 38 degrees Celsius.
4 am - 90F which is around 32 degrees Celsius.
6 am - 89F which is between 31 and 32 degrees Celsius (Expected coolest part of the day).
7 am - 89F to 90F which 31 - 32 degrees Celsius.
9 am - 100F which is 38 degrees Celsius.
10 am - 104F which is 40 degrees Celsius.
1 pm - 116F which is near 47 degrees Celsius.
3 pm - 120F which is around 49 degrees Celsius.
4 pm - Anywhere between 120F and 122F which is around 49 to 50 degrees Celsius (Expected maximum).
7 pm - 119F which is around 48.5 degrees Celsius.
10 pm - 108F which is 42 degrees Celsius.
The temperature is not expected to drop below 100F or 38C until 1 am Tuesday morning and the coolest part of the day is expected to be around 6 am Tuesday morning when the minimum temperature is expected to be 90F. A high of 119F (48.5 Celsius) is expected here on Tuesday.
Lately due points have regularly been in the negatives at this location.
There is a weather station at Greenland Ranch, Furnace Creek and another one at CA (QC162) Elevation 410 feet. Latitude 36.5070 degrees north and Longitude 116.8478 degrees west. This station has been showing some remarkable temperature readings of late including.
June 28 temperatures 2009
At 4 am - 101F or between 38C and 39C.
At 5 am - 97F or around 36.5C.
At 7 am - 96F or 36C (Coolest time of the day).
At 9 am - 99F or over 37C.
At 10 am 100F or 38C.
Between 4 pm and 8 pm - Temperature was between 113F and 114F (45 - 46 degrees).
At 12 midnight on 28 / 29 June, the temperature was still 109F or 43 Celsius here.
Daily temperatures have been creeping upwards as July approaches and due points dropping into the negatives.
Looking at the zone forecasts for Death Valley for the next 7 days, daily temperatures are expected to be between 116F and 121F with overnight minimums varying from the low 80s to the upper 80s.
Death Valley is very unique in terms of its location and topography which causes these extreme temperatures to occur. The lowest point at Badwater Basin is minus 279.8 feet or around 84 metres below sea level. It is an alkaline salt pan or a basin totally devoid of vegetation. There are two mountain ranges east and west. On the eastern side is the Armagosa Range that soars to over 8,000 feet in elevation (2,440 metres). On the western side of this 16 km wide valley are the Panamint Mountains that soars to 11,049 feet or 3,368 metres at Telescope Peak (highest point).
During the summer months which is now, the heat builds up because it cannot escape. It becomes trapped in the valley. Hence the heat is recycled day after day. It is common to see temperatures of 120 degrees plus occur here especially during July. This is what is occurring now on the valley floor.
Death Valley holds claim to several weather records including:-
- A claim of 134F or 57.1C on July 10 1913 however this is subject to controversy because the status of the thermometer is not known and there was a sandstorm occurring at the time. It might not be correct. The other problem is, a temperature of 57 degrees has not occurred or been approached in recent times so the figure is dubious.
- The second hottest temperature of 129F or around 54 Celsius recorded in July 1960, 1998 and 2005 which is the second highest temperature stands as accurate. That is not subject to any controversy.
- A total of 43 days in a row between 6 July and 17 August 1917 when the maximum temperature reached or exceeded 120F.
- July 19 2005, the temperature ranged from a low of 101F to 129F giving a daily average of 115F which may be the hottest daily average ever recorded anywhere.
- The hottest overnight minimum temperature of 104F (July 23-24 2003) when the minimum temperature failed to drop below 104F or 40 degrees Celsius.
- In 2001, the maximum temperature at Greenland Ranch in Death Valley soared to 40 degrees plus on 154 days in a row.
(Weather statistics for Greenland Ranch taken from Extreme Weather - Christopher C Burt, 2007 (Page 18)).
Hence the current weather conditions being experienced here especially on the valley floor including the expected 121 - 122F temperatures for Monday 29 June 2009 are in line with what is expected at this time of year.
Details of the current weather conditions here can be accessed by going to the National Weather Service website (NOAA), then click on the region of the United States where Las Vegas is located which will then display a map of Southern Nevada and Eastern California , then click on "Death Valley" which will then display current weather conditions from the locality (The temperatures and weather conditions as stated in this post have been accessed via the National Weather Service via this method for 28 June 2009).
I will monitor this weather station for any unusual weather extremes that may occur throughout the month of July 2009.
Harley Pearman
