The heatwave in UK has finished and we are now back to "normal" seasonal temperatures, in mid August 2020. However a few days later, the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth occurred in the Death Valley in the USA.
On 18 August the temperature reached 54.4 C in Death Valley. It is the hottest reading ever reliably taken on the planet and was recorded at the Furnace Creek weather station. See Sky News report. And a report from The Metro -
I went to Death Valley on 4 April 1994. We drove down into the valley from Death Valley Junction.
Stopped at Zabriskie Point and had a nice view over the badlands - volcanic rock and sandstone, barren and in contrast to the blue sky.
Then to the info centre at Furnace Creek. Paid $5 fee for the car and watched a video. Much of Death Valley is below sea level, the lowest point being 282 ft, the lowest point in the USA.
We had a picnic at the oasis campsite before driving around the valley.
Went south on the Badwater Road but only as far as Artists Drive. This is a loop around some very pretty rocks, coloured red, orange, pink and in some places green and grey. Very nice.
Then we took the road to Stovepipe Wells Village, along the valley floor, and past the sand dunes which were really blowing in the wind. Nice views over the salt areas. We headed out taking the Wildrose Road. Climbed from 5 ft to 2000 ft within miles. Nice small and scenic road.
I wrote about Death Valley for the Brunei Times -
What was the maximum temperature during your visit?
ReplyDeleteDon't know. Didn't record it in my diary. As it was early April, it probably wasn't that hot.
ReplyDelete