From NOAA/NWS Western Regional Headquarters, something that makes me wonder if they’ll have a similar celebration of the coldest temperature in the USA of −79.8 °F (−62.1 °C) recorded in Prospect Creek, Alaska on January 23rd, 1975, or the coldest temperature on Earth of −128.6 °F ( −89.2 °C ) at the Soviet Vostok Station in Antarctica, on July 21st, 1983. Somehow, I doubt it.
They offer this once in a lifetime event (open to the public):
Join the Celebration:
On July 10th, 1913 the weather observer at Greenland Ranch in Death Valley, California recorded a high temperature of 134°F (56.7°C). This is the highest reliably recorded air temperature on Earth. Please join us at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center on Wednesday, July 10th, 2013 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the world record high temperature. By attending you will:
- Experience the conditions that make Death Valley the hottest place on Earth.
- Be there as the official temperature observation is made.
- Learn about Weather and Climate Extremes (WMO Extremes Archive)
- Learn about how another claim to the world’s hottest temperature title was invalidated after 90 years.
- Learn about protecting yourself from extreme heat from people who live there.
Guest Speakers:
- Christopher Burt – Weather Underground
- Dr. Randall Cerveny – Ariz. State University/World Meteorological Organization
- Chris Stachelski – NOAA’s National Weather Service – Las Vegas, NV
- TBD – Death Valley National Park
About the record:
Death Valley, California is known for being a land of extremes, including its climate. Temperatures here normally reach or exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit from mid-May until early October. On July 10, 1913 a temperature of 134 degrees Fahrenheit was recorded here which stands as the hottest air temperature ever recorded on a properly sighted and maintained thermometer anywhere in the world.
During July 1913, Death Valley endured an intense stretch of hot weather from the 5th through the 14th when the high temperature reached 125 degrees Fahrenheit or greater every day. This 10 day consecutive stretch ranks as the longest such period on record here. The hottest days were from the 9th through the 13th when the high reached at least 129 degrees Fahrenheit. The most sweltering day was on July 10th when the temperature spiked to 134 degrees Fahrenheit. Although Death Valley was known for being an extremely hot place, this reading helped to solidify this reputation.
On September 13, 1922 a temperature of 136 degrees Fahrenheit was recorded at El Azizia, Libya. This was eventually certified by the World Meteorological Organization as the hottest air temperature ever recorded on Earth. However, evidence about the 136 degree reading suggested that it was invalid. On September 12, 2012 the World Meteorological Organization officially re-certified the 134 degree reading at Death Valley as the all-time highest air temperature recorded on the planet.
Agenda:
| 11:00 – 12:00 | Press conference and media interviews |
| 12:00 – 12:20 | What Makes Death Valley the Hottest Place on Earth? – NWS |
| 12:20 – 12:45 | History of the Death Valley Weather Station – Chris Stachelski, NWS |
| 12:45 – 1:30 | What is it Like to Live in the Hottest Place on Earth? – NPS |
| 1:30 – 1:50 | Break |
| 1:50 – 2:35 | Overturning the Libya Record – Christopher Burt, Weather Underground |
| 2:35 – 3:20 | World’s hottest recorded temperature? Who’s to blame? – Dr. Randall Cerveny, WMO/ASU |
| 3:20 – 3:45 | What Made July 10, 1913 So Hot? – Chris Stachelski, NWS |
| 3:45 | Head outside for 4:00 temperature observation. |
Contact Information:
| Dan Berc | Cheryl Chipman |
| Warning Coordination Meteorologist | Public Information Officer |
| National Weather Service | Death Valley National Park |
| Las Vegas, NV | Furnace Creek, CA |
| daniel.berc@noaa.gov | cheryl_chipman@nps.gov |
| (702) 263-9744 x223 | (760) 786-3207 |
=================================================================
Word has it that CNN will be there. Hopefully Al Gore will attend also so that we can get the full power of the Gore effect demonstrated on international television.
Barring that, I have a friend who flies an air fire tanker who might be able to supply some instant comic relief.
We have to much time on our hands.
More “Hot Air” sponsored by NOAA?
they had to get a “who’s to blame” in didn’t they.
Muppets.
Hurry celebrate now before134F gets homogenised away.
I wonder whether “properly sighted” means it has a clear view of the surrounding conditions or whether they are simply illiterate and meant “properly sited”.
And why would you want people to voluntarily come and expose themselves to such high temperatures. Everyone in the UK knows that (according to the BBC during earlier hot spells) temperatures above 30 deg C are lethal.
I think it is nice that they point out that this heat record has not been broken in 100 years. I just can’t imagine that Al Gore would leave the climatized environment of one of his manisons to break into sweat to attend.
“..makes me wonder if they’ll have a similar celebration of the coldest temperature in the USA of −79.8 °F (−62.1 °C) recorded in Prospect Creek, Alaska on January 23rd, 1975, or the coldest temperature on Earth of −128.6 °F ( −89.2 °C ) at the Soviet Vostok Station in Antarctica, on July 21st, 1983. Somehow, I doubt it.”
Instead of just whimpering about it, Tony, you could do something. 😉 Uuups! Forgot. You won’t be about then. By then they’ll no doubt be commiserating those looong gone cold records. Or on the other hand, as we’re on our way towards the “New Little Ice Age”, by that time the cold records ought to have tumbled regularly…
This is temperature the sun can heat to the normal COOLING effect of the atmosphere are turned off by small blockages in circulation.
There is no need for any greenhouse effect, just spread this heat around the globe..
Anyway.. its good to know the world still capable of the same maximum temperature now, as it was 100 years ago.
I take it that your friend in the tanker will pour some cold water on all the hot air.
Make sure to park all the vehicles with their exhaust pipes aimed towards the thermometer. Also run all the air conditioners full blast. Be there!
ps.. do people realise that when the sun is directly overhead at the equation, the 342w/m2 reading is well inside the arctic circle !! (75 deg to be nearly precise)
Fantastic! For a while there I thought this was being promoted by CAGW skeptics …. but I still think it is very educational to highlight that the hottest air temperature on earth was recorded 100 years ago.
Surely that’s going to make the average citizen stop and think; “Hang on, haven’t they been telling us it’s been continuously getting warmer for the last 50 years or so?”
um this looks pretty innocent to me. with sincere respect, attributing this to an NOAA “agenda” is a little black helicopterish if you ask me. just my opinion.
Peter Plail says:
July 2, 2013 at 3:46 am
And why would you want people to voluntarily come and expose themselves to such high temperatures. Everyone in the UK knows that (according to the BBC during earlier hot spells) temperatures above 30 deg C are lethal.
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The average daily high for Richmond, VA, is 32°C. I’ve been attempting the “lethal for us senior citizens” excuse for going fishing and not cutting the grass. She who must be obeyed is not amused.
The NPS has curtailed activities at Civil War parks around here for temps above 100°F because of health concerns. 134°F can be really dangerous for people who are not prepared for it and for some who are prepared. I can’t imagine what NOAA is thinking with this invitation. Obamacare that good in CA?
100 years and no increase. So I guess just the rest of the planet is warming, not Death Valley?
From an AGW point of view this must be a diappointment; no warming for a hundred years. 🙂
But from another point of view: According to the coordinates the sun should be about 13 degrees from zenith in the middle of the day. With no atmosphere this would correspond to about 1330 W/m2 incoming radiation, which for a blackbody (as the earth is compared to in such situations) would give a surface temperature of 244 degrees F. Even with a desert albedo of 20% it would be 206 degrees F. With an atmosphere the greenhouse effect should add substantially with back radiation and give an even much higher temperature. But the reality shows the opposite, it is much, much lower. Not denying radiation from CO2, this must be a good example of the very strong effect of convection; it beats the greenhouse effect. If the greenhouse effect increases, so does the the convection. A matter of balance.
I was once in Death Valley, more than 30 years ago.
It rained.
So.. Will the event be attended by people using fossil fuels or do they intend to cycle, hike etc?
JPS. Spot on. It looks like the whole thing is just about a previous record. That can’t be sure that a high pressure stall over AZ will still be there in 8 days. Frankly, in MN we love it when these events happen as the same Hi-P stall over AZ that causes these records temps is the same event that causes MN to have beautiful summer weather. After spending many a summer in the field in the desert SW I have to say, why the heck would anyone live there. This is pretty normal in the big picture. Lethal weather that you can barely escape. At least at -50 F you can put some clothes on.
NOAA thinks the Libyan thermometer is poorly sited? Pot, meet kettle.
And is Death Valley really “the hottest place on earth”? What about those locations in Saudi and Kuwait, etc. that (occasionally) have it worse?
It may not be as bad as suspected. Dr. Cerveny has been associated with some well-known skeptics in the climatology field.
> 1:50 – 2:35 Overturning the Libya Record – Christopher Burt, Weather Underground
If anyone goes, ask what the motivation was to reexamine that record reading so many years after it was recorded. A perfectly innocent answer is that it hadn’t been beaten in that many years. The reason it was overturned made a lot of sense, the claim is that a novice observer read the wrong end of the wire on the max thermometer (the wire is pushed up by mercury and remains there when it retreats).
AndyG55 says:
July 2, 2013 at 4:10 am
Which equation? Stefan–Boltzmann, I presume. 🙂
Trond A says “If the greenhouse effect increases, so does the convection. A matter of balance.”
Yesm.. its controlled by the pressure gradient. Increase the temp at the surface, the atmosphere tries harder to cool it down. But without a lot of H2O, the cooling is not as effective.