120 Degrees And Rising: What A Heat Wave Feels Like In The Hottest Place On Earth

There are heat waves, and then there are heat waves in the hottest place on Earth.

While many parts of Southern California are seeing triple-digit heat, Death Valley National Park is looking at numbers of a different league.

How hot will it get?

“On Saturday, it’s [projected] to be 127. And on Sunday, it’s going to be 129,” says Irvin Esquivel, who manages the front desk at the Stovepipe Wells Village Hotel inside Death Valley National Park.

Esquivel, who’s been with the hotel for four years, started the week like any other, by printing out the weather forecast for the entire week. But in an area where average July temperatures dance around the mid-110s, even he had to brace himself for what's in store for this weekend.

“From what my thermometer at the front desk is saying, it's already 120 degrees,” he says.

The park is currently warning visitors of "extreme summer heat" adding "avoid hiking, do not hike after 10 a.m. Travel prepared to survive. In the case of a heat related illness, get to a cool place and seek help immediately."

What 120+ temperatures feel like

“It kind of feels like you're going outside and there's somebody standing there with a blow dryer in your face.”

The national park is reputed to have recorded the highest temperature in the world, when the mercury hit 134 degrees in 1913 in the Furnace Creek area. That record is being disputed by scientists who believe a sandstorm had distorted the reading.

Tips for extreme heat tourists

Summers in Death Valley are punishing enough, with or without a heat wave. And visitors have always known to stay away — most of them anyway.

“The international [tourists] are our main business set for the summer season. They just come for a day or for the night, because they're wanting to experience the heat,” says Esquivel.

And he has his spiel ready.

“We let them know, like, ‘Hey, you need to make sure you're carrying extra water. Light fabric clothes, light colors. Don't [wear] any dark [clothing] because the light colors will be able to reflect the sunlight, the heat.'”

“Let somebody know about your schedule and itinerary on what you're gonna be doing. And we also recommend to check in with anybody like, ‘Hey, I'm back at my room, or I'm back at my destination,’” Esquivel says.

The smart thing to do is to stay inside when the desert’s starting to bake, which typically starts in the mid-morning, says Death Valley park ranger Nicole Andler.

“On these days that it's gonna be extremely hot, and the overnight lows aren’t getting very low, you may even want to be done with the outdoors by 9:00 a.m.,” says Andler.

And temperatures will remain high, even at night.

“Saturday night into Sunday morning is 99 degrees, and Sunday night into Monday morning is 101,” she says.

Tips in a heat wave