It was 130 degrees in Death Valley in August 2020. Death Valley set a world record for the hottest temperature in September at 126 degrees.
Most days in July and August feel like you're walking into an oven according to the public information officer for Death Valley National park.
Stewart thought it was pretty oppressive. You feel it on your skin when you go out. It's dry, and you don't sweat because it's so quick to evaporate.
In August, Death Valley's 300 to 400 year-round residents experience highs of 115 to 120 degrees. The temperature goes into the low 90s at night. Residents are able to work, socialize, and even exercise in the heat.
Stewart and Patrick Taylor are the chiefs of interpretation and education at Death Valley National Park.
Taylor's first summer in Death Valley was difficult.
When a body isn't acclimatized to extreme heat, high temperatures can quickly overwhelm it, causing sweating and exhaustion, which can lead to heat stroke. Sweating more, reducing core temperatures, and altering blood vessels are some of the things that most human bodies do after a few weeks.
It took Taylor and most other people about a year to get used to the highs. He has been there for 7 years.
He said that it is not as intimidating when it is 125.
Death Valley's heat is dry, which means sweat can evaporate quickly and cool the body more effectively.
She said she knew she'd gotten used to the heat after starting to bundle up.
She said that people will say "It's 80 degrees outside and I'm wearing shorts and a T shirt" when she calls. Stewart said he was probably wearing pants and a shirt in that climate.
Death Valley has highs in the 60s and lows in the 30s in the winter.
Death Valley's three main year-round communities are remote and an hour's drive away. Taylor and his wife homeschooled their five daughters, despite some local kids taking the hour long bus ride to school.
Most of the housing units at the Cow Creek complex are within walking distance of each other. There is a shared gym and playground. Ordinary A/C units and swamp coolers are the two main types of air conditioning in most homes.
Some residents use both systems, but not all.
Employees never use air conditioning. It will get to 95 in the house.
They don't use air conditioning to save money.
Taylor said that most residents' family members don't like visiting in the summer.
He said that this branch of the National Park Service attracts really motivated employees that want to work hard and don't run off when things are difficult.
There is a book club, a crafting club, people who like to go out running, and about 150 National Park Service employees in the area.
Death Valley residents run. It's outside. It was even in July.
Taylor said they wouldn't tell visitors to go running in Death Valley in the summer. It's not much of a difference if you run every day and your body is used to running at 118 degrees.
Simple activities can be dangerous in the summer.
Taylor and his family always have a backup satellite phone in case they lose reception.
Stewart doesn't drive to the grocery store without her boyfriend and a jug of water, she also inspects her car to avoid the chance that it breaks down, stranding her in a remote area.
She said that the biggest fear she has is getting a flat tire.
Both Taylor and Stewart told visitors to the park to take the same precautions.
Stewart is concerned that the attention we have to our heat records will bring more people out.
The small group of Death Valley residents are still in touch with each other via technology even though it's hard to meet up.
We're all going through the same thing at the same time. Stewart said that it fosters a sense of community.
Climate change is also a huge threat.
Death Valley has six of the 10 hottest months on record. In July of last year, the area set a world record for hottest month ever recorded, with an average temperature of 108.1 degrees.
Taylor said that the temperature changes have made it more difficult to communicate.
It doesn't seem like the daytime highs are noticeably higher than they have been in the past. He said the overnight low was the big trend.
Death Valley's low temperature in August used to be 86 degrees. It was ninety last year. The average low temperature in September has gone up from 74 to 80.
Taylor said that they no longer can go out and socialize as much as they used to. We used to have a barbecue, but now it's too hot to do that four months out of the year.
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