It’s a hot spot in many ways.
Tourists from all over the world flock to Death Valley despite its scorching temperatures, which have led to one recorded death.
In fact, hundreds of people have traveled from as far away as France, Spain and the United Kingdom to the notoriously arid stretch of land that straddles the Nevada-California border, the Associated Press reported.
These pilgrims reportedly weren’t deterred by the scorching heat at this aptly named tourist destination, which is also the lowest point in North America.
Meteorologists predicted last week that the temperature will surpass the current record of 134 degrees Fahrenheit, set in Death Valley in July 1913, but it is not yet clear whether that record will be broken.
Thor Teigen poses in a fur jacket next to a thermometer reading 131 degrees Fahrenheit at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center in Death Valley National Park, California, Sunday, July 7, 2024. AP
For many guests, the possibility of record-breaking heat was the main reason for visiting the potentially deadly attraction.
“I was excited that it was going to be so hot,” Drew Belt, a tourist from Tupelo, Mississippi, who wanted to stop in Death Valley on his way to Mount Whitney in California, told The Associated Press. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s like walking on Mars.”
Death Valley National Park superintendent Mike Reynolds warned visitors that “such high temperatures can pose a serious health threat.” AFP via Getty Images
In other words, this desolate hellish landscape has become too hot for tourists, who seem to make the pilgrimage to Death Valley every time meteorologists predict record-breaking temperatures for the region.
Unfortunately, visitors may be playing with fire: “High temperatures like this can pose a real threat to your health,” Death Valley National Park Superintendent Mike Reynolds warned in an advisory.
An unidentified motorcyclist died of heatstroke while riding through Death Valley with five other riders on Saturday.
This comes as an unprecedented heatwave hits much of the US, with temperatures reaching over 100 degrees Celsius, and authorities issued heat warnings for 136 million people across the country.
Most of those affected are in the West, where dozens of hotspots tied or broke records over the weekend.
Meanwhile, hot and humid temperatures are expected to continue in the Northeast, with temperatures in New York City expected to exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit today for the fifth consecutive day.