Record Hot Death Valley Heat Wave, July 9-12, 2021 (Data and Charts)

On the weekend of the 108th anniversary of the bogus 134F maximum temperature report in Death Valley, a very high-end heat wave plopped itself on top of the Death Valley region. Numerous all-time record high temperatures were set or tied or threatened. And, I was at Furnace Creek and I was taking a bunch of pictures and temperature readings on Saturday, July 10, when an official max temp of 129.4F was attained! (See my separate entry here for the details and pics from the July 10 visit.) The max temp of July 9th was 130.0F, exceeding last August’s record of 129.9F.

This web site entry is generally your one-stop web site for meteorological data and information with regard to the big desert heat wave of July, 2021. My analysis and a lot more details and comparisons to previous heat waves is in this separate Stormbruiser entry.

Below is a slew of media articles on the event and on the 130F temp on July 9.

Jeff Masters blog

Wash Post on SW record. (sorry — this one might ask you to pay up after a few visits)

Wash Post July 10. (sorry — this one might ask you to pay up after a few visits)

Wash Post 130F in DV. (sorry — this one might ask you to pay up after a few visits)

CNN article

Backpacker.com

NY Times subject to payment

Weather Maps, Soundings and Charts for the Heat Event July, 2021:

July 8th (i.e., near 00Z July 9th)

08Jul 500 map 08Jul 700 map 08Jul 850 map 08Jul SPC surface map

08Jul VEF sounding graph 08Jul VEF sounding

23Z July 8 regional map Max Temps north July 8 map Max Temps south July 8 map

(Max temps on these maps are based on the observations (e.g. hourly, or every 10 or 20 minutes, etc.), and thus it is possible that a higher temperature that occurred between observations is not indicated on the max temp maps.)

NWS RTP Tables:

PHX RTP July 8 SAN RTP July 8 HNX RTP July 8

RNO RTP Jul 8 VEF RTP July 8. LOX RTP July 8

next morning RTPs:

VEF RTP am July 9 RNO RTP am Jul 9

July 9th (i.e., near 00Z July 10th)

FC July 9 hourlies NWS FC table NWS VEF MxMn list VEF sounding

Sat pic 09 Jul Sat pic 09 Jul B Sat pic 09 Jul C Sat pic 09 Jul D

Wx map obs NWS graphic Max comparisons

SPC 500 map SPC 700 map SPC 850 map SPC sfc map SPC Prec water map

500 map NCAR 700 map NCAR 850 map NCAR

SPC Sounding VEF SPC Sounding VEF data

23Z regional map July 9 Max temps north July 9 Max temps south July 9

NWS RTP Tables:

PHX RTP July 9 LOX RTP July 9 SAN RTP July 9

HNX RTP July 9 RNO RTP July 9 VEF RTP July 9

next morning RTPs:

VEF RTP am July 10 RNO RTP am July 10

July 10th (i.e., near 00Z July 11th)

10Jul 500 map 10Jul 700 map 10Jul 850 map 10Jul VEF sounding

500 map NCAR NCAR 500 zoom 700 map NCAR 850 map NCAR

SPC Sfc 9 p.m.:04Z SPC Prec Wtr 11 p.m.:06Z VEF sounding

NWS FC data A NWS FC data B

SPC Sounding VEF VEF Sounding SPC data

23Z regional map July 10 Max temps north July 10 Max temps south July 10

NWS RTP lists:

LOX RTP July 10 SGX RTP July 10 HNX RTP July 10

RNO RTP July 10 VEF RTP July 10 PHX RTP July 10

next morning’s RTPs:

RNO RTP am July 11 VEF RTP am July 11

July 11th (i.e., near 00Z July 12th)

11Jul 12z 500 map 11Jul 12Z 700 map 11Jul 12Z 850 map

Sat Pic A Sat Pic B 500 map NCAR 700 map NCAR 850 map NCAR

SPC 500 map 23Z SPC 700 map 23Z SPC 850 map 23Z SPC Sfc map 23Z

SPC PW map 23Z VEF Sounding

SPC VEF Sounding SPC VEF Sounding data

23Z regional surface map July 11 Max temps north July 11 Max temps south July 11

NWS RTP lists:

LOX RTP July 11 SAN RTP July 11 HNX RTP July 11

RNO RTP July 11 VEF RTP July 11 PHX RTP July 11

next morning’s RTPs:

VEF RTP am Jul 12 RNO RTP am July 12

July 12th (i.e., near 00Z July 13th)

12Jul 500 map 12Jul 700 map 12Jul 850 map 12Jul VEF sounding

NWS graphic Sat pic A 700 map SPC 00Z Sfc map SPC 00Z

Sfc map SPC 04Z PW map SPC 00Z

23Z regional map July 12 Max temps north July 12 Max temps south July 12

NWS RTP lists:

LOX RTP July 12 SGX RTP July 12 HNX RTP July 12

RNO RTP July 12 VEF RTP July 12 PHX RTP July 12

next morning’s RTPs:

RNO RTP am July 13 VEF RTP am Jul 13

Regional Weather Station Data

Death Valley Stations

FURNACE CREEK DEATH VALLEY NWS/NPS HADS FC hourly temps (same official DV station)

Death Valley Natl Park CARB

USCRN SITE NEAR STOVEPIPE WELLS 1SW SARATOGA SPRING RAWS

Note: The CARB station temperature data are a bit odd in that the hourly temperature provided is the HIGHEST temperature attained during the previous hour. Thus, a value of 105F at 3 p.m. at a CARB station (including the one near Cow Creek in Death Valley) means that the temperature got as high as 105F from 2 to 3 p.m., and it does not necessarily mean that the temperature was 105F at 3 p.m. However, temperature sensors at the CARB stations are generally well above the ground. This, and because they are generally very-well sited and well-exposed, results in a comparatively small intra-hourly temperature change. In most instances, the temperature indicated by the CARB station at a particular hour is very close to the actual temperature at that time of day (i.e., within a degree or two F). A little more info on this CARB station is in a previous Stormbruiser entry (towards the bottom).

Link to detailed hourly Death Valley/Furnace Creek/NWS/HADS station data. Click on the timeframe desired and then on “Decoded Data.”

Last 72 hours of observations at Death Valley/Furnace Creek

Last 72 hours of data for the Death Valley/Cow Creek CARB station (California Air Resources Board)

and go HERE for a quick look at the latest 72 hours of Stovepipe Wells data (updated every 5 minutes)

Last 72 hours of observations at Saratoga Springs RAWS station in southern Death Valley

For info on the Stovepipe Wells station, see this link,

go HERE for the historic and recent Stovepipe Wells data

This link outlines the type of station and measurements for the USCRN station at Stovepipe Wells. Maximum and minimum temperatures are based on 5-minute averages which are updated every 10 seconds. The five-minute averages themselves are derived from temperature readings taken every two seconds by three thermometers! This is a very conservative methodology to determining the daily max and min temperatures, but is basically the same as at the NWS/FAA ASOS stations at airports. Both use 5-minute averages to determine the air temperature.

Someone in the government does the same thing that I do: they compare maximums between Stovepipe Wells and Furnace Creek!

Note: I have found that many, if not most of the RAWS stations are rather poor on daytime temperature measurement during sunny conditions and light winds. With such conditions, the temperature is often several degrees too high at RAWS stations. I figure that this is likely due to generally lousy radiation shields for the temperature sensor. However, I have not found the Saratoga Springs RAWS station to have such inflated daytime temperatures.

More info on the exposure of the official Death Valley station.

Inyo County Stations

HUNTER MOUNTAIN RAWS Tecopa:Shoshone CEMP DEATH VALLEY JCT Scan

OWENS VALLEY RAWS SOUTH LAKE CABIN NEAR BISHOP 16SSW (SLK)

Bishop Paiute Tribe-CA AIRNOW Bishop AP KBIH Bishop Airnow Deep Springs SCAN

EW4197 Bishop SCE Big Pine FW6556 Big Pine OAK CREEK RAWS

CRABTREE MEADOWS METEOROLOGICAL STATION NEAR LONEPINE 16WSW (CBT)

FW5911 Darwin SCE Lake Canyon Dr FIVE MILE RAWS SAWMILL NEAR BIG PINE 15W (SWM)

EUREKA VALLEY RAWS Lone Pine-PermMS CARB Lizard Tail-NE Shoreline Owens Lake CARB

Keeler-Cerro Gordo Road CARB Shell Cut-Highway 190 CARB Owens Lake-Ash Point CARB

Dirty Sox Owens Lake CARB Olancha

Mono County Stations