Death Valley in California may have experienced the highest temperature on record this weekend, with the scorching and apty-named Furnace Creek hitting 131 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday. Higher temperatures were recorded more than 100 years ago, but not by credible observers. And the place was swarming with tourists hoping the park set a new world record while they baked in it.
Earlier this week, German tourist Daniel Jusehus snapped a photo of the famed thermometer at the visitor centre after challenging himself to a run in the sweltering heat.
"I was really noticing, you know, I didn't feel so hot, but my body was working really hard to cool myself," said the avid runner whose photo showed the thermometer reading 48C degrees – well below the expected record. …
Physical activity can make the heat even more unbearable at the park, where sunbaked rocks, sand and soil continue to radiate after sunset.
"It does feel like the sun has gone through your skin and is getting into your bones," Park Ranger Nichole Andler said.
If you're wondering why they always find a German tourist for Death Valley vox pops…
