This video shows temperature readings off of the digital Kestrel during my drive through Death Valley on July 9, 2024. It begins along 190 at Towne Pass, near 4950′ elevation, then descends on 190 to Stovepipe Wells, Furnace Creek and eventually Badwater. There are stops at Furnace Creek and Badwater to check out the weather stations.
Official high temperature reports on this day were about 127F. My Kestrel showed as high as 130F to 132F on several occasions, primarily at the locales below sea level. However, any 1 or 2-minute average temperatures were likely no higher than about 129F.
If you are wondering, the Kestrel readings matched very closely with the measurements taken by the official instrumentation at Stovepipe Wells, Furnace Creek and Badwater. The Kestrel is very sensitive, and it updates about every one second. Temperatures off of the Kestrel tended to bounce around over a two-to-four (F) degree range during short time frames as I drove across the low-elevation areas. The instrument was taped to my side-view mirror, and was getting a very well-ventilated flow of air (at 50 mph!) across the sensor. Any affect on temperature readings by direct sunlight on or near the sensor was likely negligible. The Kestrel’s impeller was removed in order to preserve the propeller blades during the drive.
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