It was extremely hot but Death Valley fell a little short Thursday of the 130 degrees recorded last year.
The National Weather Service said Death Valley National Park hit 128 degrees, breaking the old record of 122 for the date set in 1917.
Death Valley National Park hit a high temperature of 128° today. This breaks the old record of 122° for this date set in 1917. #DeathValley #cawx
— NWS Las Vegas (@NWSVegas) June 17, 2021
The official temperature is recorded at the visitors center at Furnace Creek inside the park, most of which is located in eastern California. A small part of the park is in Nevada.
According to the United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization, the official keeper and verifier of global climate extremes, the highest air temperature recorded anywhere in the world is 134 degrees at Death Valley’s Greenland Ranch on July 10, 1913.
Death Valley is just one of many places across the West suffering through an intense June heat wave.
On Thursday, a decades-old record for highest daily temperature was broken in Las Vegas, and an excessive heat warning was extended through Sunday in the valley.
On Wednesday, Phoenix tied a record for the second day in a row when it reached 115 degrees.