Furnace Creek, Death Valley, records 54.4C temperature in heatwave

[gary]

18 August 2020

What could be the highest temperature ever reliably recorded on Earth - 54.4C (130F) - may have been reached at Furnace Creek in the Death Valley National Park, California.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53788018

[multiweb]

There was a recent article in the New York Times about the heatwave in california. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/15/us/california-heat-wave-blackout.html

[DarkArts]

Even Aussies caught outside in that heat would admit it's f------ hot.

Meanwhile, fair-skinned Brits would instantly disappear in a puff of ash, like vampires. :P

[erick]

Keep your scope and eyepieces dry... and too hot to touch!

[multiweb]

I read another article on FB saying that they had to roster power during peak demand, so cut out entire area in order to service others without damaging the network. Apparently California had a big uptake on solar and wind. To fill in the remaining they used to buy power from nearby states. But with the drought and heat the other states were not in a position to supply any as they just had enough to fulfill their own demand. Another reason to not shelf too quickly "plan B" electricty generation.

[Kevnool]

On my 200 series toyota the temp on the outside does not go over 50c

In the outback these temps are not recorded its just another day.

Cheers

[Sunfish]

When I spent a few weeks in the states in a very affluent part of the Midwest many years ago their power went out all the time. Locals just accepted it as a part of cheap power. We never had that here until recently. So power outages do not necessarily have a direct connection with temperature or mode of generation but can be related to less spending on a robust supply.

[Crater101]

I lived in Broken Hill when I was a kid for a couple of years, and I've been back there a few times since. I understand what you mean. But 54.4??? Egad!