A motorcyclist traveling with fellow riders died of heatstroke in Death Valley on Saturday as temperatures soared to nearly triple digits across much of the U.S.
Authorities said the unidentified motorcyclist died in the heat while riding with a group of six through Death Valley National Park. A second motorcyclist was rushed to a Las Vegas hospital with “severe heatstroke,” while the other four were treated at the scene.
Temperatures in the sprawling park reached 128 degrees Fahrenheit on Saturday, and the heat meant helicopters were unable to fly to the bikers and take them to a hospital.
“This is an exciting time in Death Valley to experience potentially world-record temperatures, but we encourage visitors to be selective and avoid being outside air-conditioned cars or buildings for extended periods of time when temperatures are this high,” park manager Mike Reynolds said.
Excessive heat warnings issued by the National Weather Service on Sunday affected about 10% of the U.S. population, or 36 million people, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Jackson.
Dozens of locations across the West and Pacific Northwest tied or broke previous heat records.
The city of Redding, California, broke its record with a high of 119 degrees, while Phoenix recorded a new daytime high of 92 degrees on Sunday.
In Salem, Oregon, the temperature hit a record high of 103 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday, while on the East Coast, temperatures didn’t reach triple digits but unbearable humidity caused suffering for millions.
And in Las Vegas, a record 120-degree temperature hit Sin City. To demonstrate the heat, the National Weather Service in Las Vegas tweeted a photo of melted crayons left out in the sun.
At least 13 heatstroke deaths have been confirmed in Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, this year, and another 160 deaths are suspected to be linked to the heat.
That number doesn’t include a 10-year-old boy who died last week after suffering from “heat exhaustion” while hiking with his family in South Mountain Park Preserve, police said.
Summer has just begun, but the sweltering heat shows no signs of letting up.
In Furnace Creek, Death Valley, California, temperatures could reach 130 degrees Fahrenheit this week. The highest temperature ever recorded on Earth is 134 degrees Fahrenheit, recorded in Death Valley in 1913, but some experts believe that measurement was inaccurate and claim it was still 130 degrees in 2021.
Despite the high altitude, an unusually extreme heat warning was issued for the Lake Tahoe area.
“How hot will it be? Well, highs (in western Nevada and northeastern California) aren’t expected to drop below 100 degrees Fahrenheit until next weekend,” the weather service said. “And unfortunately, overnight temperatures won’t get much warmer either.”
Some people were unfazed by the ongoing heat wave.
Chris Kinsel, a visitor to Death Valley, planned to go to the park’s visitor center on Sunday and take a photo next to a digital sign showing the current temperature.
“Death Valley in the summer has always been a bucket list for me. I’ve wanted to come here in the summer for most of my life,” Kinsel said.
Meanwhile, Natasha Ivory, a mother of eight, took her four children to a water park in Mount Charleston, just outside Las Vegas, where temperatures reached 120 degrees.
“They’re having fun,” Ivory told Fox 5 Vegas. “I’m going to get wet too, because it’s too hot not to get wet.”
With post wire
