Death Valley

July 18, 2001

Zabriskie6

Provided by: National Park Service
Summary authors & editors: Jim Foster

It's mid July, and things are sizzling in Death Valley. Maximum temperatures have been over 110 degrees F on most days the past several weeks, and the 120 degree barrier was cracked earlier in the month. The average temperature for July is an astonishing 101.6 degrees! On July 10, 1913, the record high temperature in the Western Hemisphere of 134 degrees was recorded. Confined by several mountain ranges, Death Valley is cut off from rain and cooling Pacific winds, making it one of the driest and hottest places in the world.

Death Valley National Park has more than 3.3 million acres of spectacular desert scenery, complex geology, and undisturbed wilderness. It's bounded on the west by 11,049 foot Telescope Peak and on the east by 5,475 foot Dante's View. Badwater is the lowest point (-282 feet) in the western hemisphere.

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