Brutal heatwave in Death Valley

Brutal heatwave in Death Valley

Subject: Geography

Context: A brutal heatwave punishing the US West has pushed temperatures toward all-time records for a third day, as Death Valley in California – scorched at 54.4 degrees – was again one of the hottest spots on the planet.

Concept:

• Death Valley ,the hottest place on Earth,” the temperature in Death Valley National Park, eastern California has hit 128 degrees Fahrenheit (53 degrees Celsius) much earlier than usual. It would be one of the highest ever recorded on Earth.
• A thermometer outside Furnace Creek Visitors Centre in the heart of Death Valley showed 54.4 degrees before 4pm on Sunday (local time), although a National Park Service ranger
• The sweltering heat, which extended across much of the Pacific Northwest, pressured power grids and fuelled major wildfires, including a blaze burning in Southern Oregon that threatened homes and knocked out electricity.

Heat Wave

• A heat wave is a period of abnormally high temperatures, more than the normal maximum temperature that occurs during the summer season in the North-Western and South Central parts of India.
• Heat waves typically occur between March and June, and in some rare cases even extend till July.
• Higher daily peak temperatures and longer, more intense heat waves are becoming increasingly frequent globally due to climate change.