But It's a Dry Heat -- Death Valley National Park, CA
N 36° 13.797 W 116° 46.063
11S E 520874 N 4009478
One of several interpretive signs at this fascinating area in Death Valley National Park.
Waymark Code: WMQVD5
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 03/31/2016
Views: 16
This sign is located at the boardwalk area at Blackwater Pool in Badwater Basin, and reads as follows:
"BUT IT'S A DRY HEAT
“It was so hot that swallows in full flight fell to the Earth dead and when I went out to read the thermometer with a wet Turkish towel on my head, it was dry before I returned.”
-- Oscar Denton, caretaker of what is now the Furnace Creek Ranch on the record hot day of 134°F (56°C) in July 1913
Extreme Desert
Death Valley is one of the hottest places in the world. Erie at summer daytime temperatures often exceed a blistering 120°F (49°C), and nights may fail to cool below 100°F (38°C)
The dramatic landscape around you helps generate these extremes. In the low Valley bottom, the Desert Sun heats the air. The valley’s steep mountain walls trap rising hot air and recirculate it down the basin for further heating. This cycle leads to sizzling temperatures.
Death Valley is also the driest place in North America, with an average rainfall of less than 2 inches (5 cm) a year on the valley floor. The surrounding mountains and the Sierra Nevada to the West capture moisture from passing storms Fort reaches the valley, creating a “rain shadow.” Only the occasional summer thunderstorm a most powerful winter storm brings rain to the valley.
Staying Alive
Death Valley summer. He can be deadly for the unwary. A safe trip and hot weather requires taking a few precautions:
*take plenty of water and be sure to drink it.
*Avoid outside activity in the heat of the day. Use the early-morning hours for short walks, or head to the mountains for longer hikes.
*Keep to the main roads in summer; if your car breaks down, stay with your vehicle until help comes.
Overlooking the salt flats from the summit of the Black Mountains, Dante's View is more than 5000 feet above you. Air temperatures there can be 25°F (14°C) cooler than at Badwater."
Group that erected the marker: National Park Service
URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link]
Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary:
Badwater Basin
Death Valley National ParkCA
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Visit Instructions:
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