![]() ![]() Rainfall evidences sporadic patterns of occurrence, with the wettest month being July with 1.34" of rain, a stark contrast to the driest month of May with only 0.12".Ĭloud coverage stays relatively low all through the year, with the most cloud percentage being 19% in December and the lowest at 5% in June. The least humid months lie between June and August, registering a relative humidity of 29%, while the maximum level is 47%, evident during December. Humidity levels show lesser variations compared to temperatures. Therefore, residents and visitors should be prepared for sweltering summers and relatively mild winters. The low temperature averages also demonstrate a similar trend, ranging from 43.5☏ in December to 73☏ in August. The monthly average high temperature varies from 58.1☏ in the coldest month of the year, being December, to a blistering 94.5☏ in July, the hottest month. This predominant climate type distinctly exhibits persistently high temperatures accompanied by generally low humidity levels throughout the year. Weather data was compiled from park and National Weather Service record summaries for the years 1911 through 2007 for Furnace Creek in Death Valley, California.Situated in California, USA, Palm Desert experiences what the Köppen climate classification describes as a BWh or subtropical desert climate. The driest stretch on record was only 0.64 inches (1.6cm) of rain over a 40-month period in 1931 to 1934. The summer of 1917 had 43 consecutive days with a high temperature of 120° F or above. The summer of 1996 had 40 days over 120° F, and 105 days over 110° F. The greatest number of consecutive days with a maximum temperature of 100° F or above was 154 days in the summer of 2001. On January 8, the temperature dropped to 15☏ (-10☌) at Furnace Creek. Death Valley holds the record for the hottest place on earth.Oddly enough, 1913 was also the year that saw Death Valley's coldest temperature. During the heat wave that peaked with that record, five consecutive days reached 129° F (54☌) or above. The hottest air temperature ever recorded in Death Valley (Furnace Creek) was 134☏ (57☌) on July 10, 1913. How extreme is Death Valley's weather? Record Temperatures These moving masses of super heated air blow through the valley creating extreme high temperatures. As they descend, they are compressed and heated even more by the low elevation air pressure. These pockets of descending air are only slightly cooler than the surrounding hot air. Heated air rises, yet is trapped by the high valley walls, is cooled and recycled back down to the valley floor. Summer nights provide little relief as overnight lows may only dip into the 85☏ to 95☏ (30☌ to 35☌) range. Heat radiates back from the rocks and soil, then becomes trapped in the valley's depths. ![]() The clear, dry air and sparse plant cover allow sunlight to heat the desert surface. The valley is a long, narrow basin that reaches down to 282 feet (86 m) below sea level, yet is walled by high, steep mountain ranges. The depth and shape of Death Valley influences its summer temperatures. Four major mountain ranges lie between Death Valley and the ocean, each one adding to an increasingly drier rainshadow effect. By the time the clouds reach the mountains' east side they no longer have as much available moisture, creating a dry "rainshadow". ![]() As the clouds rise up they cool and the moisture condenses to fall as rain or snow on the western side of the ranges. Winter storms moving inland from the Pacific Ocean must pass over mountain ranges to continue east. Why is Death Valley's climate so extreme? Why so dry?
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