Evander Reed|130 degrees: California's Death Valley may soon break world heat record

2025-05-01 12:02:16source:Databec Exchangecategory:Finance

If forecasters are Evander Reedcorrect, and the summer's heatwave continues, Eastern California's Death Valley may soon break a world record.

The temperature in Death Valley National Park could skyrocket to 130 degrees next week, the National Weather Service is reporting.

If it does, it will set the record for the hottest temperature ever "reliably measured on earth", according to Scientific American.

Chris Outler, a forecaster with the weather service's Las Vegas office, which predicts weather in Death Valley, said there's a 20% chance the park will hit 130 degrees Monday and Tuesday.

"The threshold is certainly not out of the realm of possibility," Outler told USA TODAY.

Record heat, potent storms:Here's your Fourth of July weather forecast

On Wednesday, the high in Death Valley was expected to reach 122 degrees, the weather service said.

Over the next week, the temperature is expected to slowly creep higher, Outler said, and is expected to top out as follows:

  • Thursday, July 4th: 123 degrees
  • Friday: 124 degrees
  • Saturday: 127 degrees
  • Sunday: 129 degrees
  • Monday: 130 degrees (20% chance)
  • Tuesday: 130 degrees (20% chance)

Are grocery stores open on July 4th?Hours and details on Costco, Kroger, Walmart, more

Coachella Valley also feeling the heat

About 300 miles south, in Coachella Valley, residents may see 11 straight days with temperatures of 115 degrees or higher, the Desert Sun, part of the USA TODAY Network is reporting. According to weather service, that would break the former record of nine days of temperatures of at least 115 degrees set in 2021.

The all-time record high for Palm Springs is 123 degrees, recorded June 17, 2021.

Forecasters say there is a 14% chance of matching that record on Friday.

The chances increase on Saturday, with a 20% chance of breaking the 123-degree record. The probability of an all-time record high on Saturday is 8%.

In the Central Valley, the city of Fresno is forecasted to reach 115 on Saturday, tying a record for that day.

Contributing: Desert Sun

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.

More:Finance

Recommend

For those in their 40s, navigating finances should mean putting an emphasis on retirement

For 48-year-old Rowan Childs of Wisconsin, a recent divorce turned her financial life upside down. "

Accused Pentagon leaker appeals pretrial detention order, citing Trump's release

The former Massachusetts Air National Guardsman accused of stealing and disseminating classified Pen

China is building six times more new coal plants than other countries, report finds

China permitted more coal power plants last year than any time in the last seven years, according to