While in Europe, it seems that the largest hailstone ever recorded is falling from the sky, elsewhere it is becoming almost unbearable to be outdoors due to the extremely high temperatures. Those visiting the Death Valley should be prepared to deal with extreme temperatures.
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Tourists should be well prepared
The weather seems to be going crazy at the moment. Even the Death Valley, where very high temperatures are the norm, has been experiencing record high temperatures in recent days. Just a few days ago it was 52 degrees Celsius there, as Focus reports.
However, temperatures that crack the 50-degree mark are not really new. In the vast desert landscape, a full 56.7 degrees were measured there on 10 July 1913, as the Tagesspiegel writes.
Due to the enormous heat, the Nation Park Service advises on its website that travellers who want to walk in the desert should be very careful and follow some advice:
Drink plenty of water and take extra water with you. Avoid hiking, do not hike after 10am. Travel prepared to survive. In case of heat-related illness, go to a cool place and seek help immediately.
Read more: Toxic lakes are being discovered, here's what you should know
Where does the name 'Death Valley' come from?
The National Park Service also has the answer to the question of why the landscape bears its less than laudable name:
Death Valley got its forbidding name from a group of pioneers who got lost here in the winter of 1849 - 1850. Although, as far as we know, only one of the group died here, they all assumed that this valley would be their grave.
They were rescued by two of their young men, William Lewis Manly and John Rogers, who were scouts. As the group climbed out of the valley over the Panamint Mountains, one of the men turned and looked back and said, 'Goodbye, Death Valley.'
According to Backpacker.com, the heat is not the main reason for the approximately 3.4 deaths/1 million visitors. Much more fatal are car accidents, which have 'caused 14 deaths in the last 10 years'.
Read more:Child dies from a brain-eating amoeba after visiting Nevada hot spring
This article has been translated from Gentside DE.
Sources used:
Focus: Touristen reisen zum Death Valley, um lebensgefährlichen Hitzerekord zu erleben
Tagesspiegel: Mehr als 50 Grad im Death Valley möglich: Behörden warnen vor Rekordtemperaturen im Westen der USA
National Park Service: Death Valley
Backpacker.com: What Are the Most Dangerous National Parks? One Story Got it Wrong
