The temperature in Death Valley reached an incredible 53,3 degrees: how the heat affects our body

The hottest place on Earth, Death Valley, has put a hot exclamation point on a record-breaking warm summer, reaching some of the highest temperatures ever recorded on Earth. Writes about this KTLA.

Photo: IStock

The National Weather Service said temperatures in Death Valley, which runs along part of central California's border with Nevada, reached 128 degrees Fahrenheit on July 53,33 at the aptly named Furnace Creek.

The highest temperature ever recorded was 134F (+56,67C) in July 1913 at Furnace Creek, said Randy Severny of the World Meteorological Organization.

Temperatures at or above 130 F (+54,44 Celsius) have only been recorded on Earth a few times, mostly in Death Valley.

“With global warming, such temperatures are becoming more and more likely,” said Severny, records coordinator for the World Meteorological Organization. “Global warming is causing higher and more frequent extreme temperatures.”

"It looks like we're not going to break the all-time record yet," said Matt Woods, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's office in Las Vegas who monitors Death Valley.

The heat wave is just one part of the extreme weather hitting the US this weekend. Five people die in Pennsylvania when heavy rains cause flash floods. Two more - a 9-month-old boy and a 2-year-old girl - are missing. In Vermont, officials were concerned about landslides as rain continued to fall after days of flooding.

On the subject: Extreme heat covered the USA: how to cool off without air conditioning

The brutal temperatures in Death Valley come amid scorching hot weather that sends roughly a third of Americans into some form of advisory, watch or warning. Heatwaves aren't as visually dramatic as other natural disasters, but experts say they're more deadly. A heatwave in parts of the South and Midwest has killed more than a dozen people in the past month.

Residents of the western United States have long been accustomed to extreme temperatures, and the heat appears to have caused minimal disruption to operations in California. Local governments have opened cooling centers for people without access to air conditioning to keep them cool. The heatwave forced officials to cancel horse racing on the first weekend of the California State Fair. Officials urged fairgoers to stay hydrated and seek cooling in one of the seven air-conditioned buildings.

In Las Vegas, temperatures reached 115 degrees Fahrenheit (+46,11 degrees Celsius) early on July 16, approaching the city's record of 117 degrees (+47,22 Celsius). Temperatures in Phoenix, Arizona reached 112 degrees Fahrenheit (44,4 C) on July 16, marking the 17th consecutive day that temperatures stayed at 110 degrees (43,33 C) or higher. The record is 18 days, set in June 1974. Phoenix will likely break that record on Tuesday, July 18, said Gabriel Lojero, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Heat records are breaking across the US South, from California to Florida. But it's much more than that. It's happening all over the world, with devastating heatwaves hitting Europe, and severe flooding in the US Northeast, India, Japan and China.

According to the University of Maine's Climate Reanalyzer, for most of July, the world was in hot, uncharted territory.

June was also the hottest month on record, according to several meteorological agencies. Scientists say there is a possibility that 2023 will be the hottest year on record.

Death Valley dominates world heat records.

Some meteorologists dispute how accurate the 110-year high temperature record in Death Valley is.

The two highest temperatures on record: 134 F (+56,67 Celsius) in 1913 in Death Valley and 131 F (+55 degrees Celsius) in Tunisia in July 1931.

“130 degrees is very rare, if not unique,” ​​weather historian Christopher Burt said.

In July 2021 and August 2020, 130 F (+54,4 degrees C) was recorded in Death Valley, but both are still awaiting confirmation. Scientists haven't found any problems yet, but they haven't finished the analysis yet, said Russ Vose, head of climate analysis at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

There are other Death Valley-like places that can be as hot as Iran's Lut Desert but, like Death Valley, are uninhabited, so no one takes the temperature there, Bert said. The difference is that in 1911, someone decided to place an official weather station in Death Valley, he said.

The combination of long-term anthropogenic climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas is making the world hotter every decade, with ups and downs year after year. Many of these ups and downs are caused by the natural cycle of El Niño and La Niña. The El Niño cycle, a warming part of the Pacific Ocean that is changing the world's weather, is adding even more heat to already rising temperatures.

Scientists like Vose say that much of the record warming we're seeing on Earth right now is due to human-induced climate change, in part because El Niño only started a few months ago and is still weak. It is not expected to peak until winter, so scientists are predicting that next year will be even hotter.

How to protect yourself

Heat, lack of ventilation, intense physical activity - all these factors can contribute to an increase in body temperature and pose a serious danger to human health, writes with the BBC.

When the body overheats, heat exhaustion occurs.

If the body temperature exceeds +40°C, it loses its ability to cool down and a person can get a fatal heat stroke.

Here's what you need to know about the dangers of fever.

How does heat affect a person

When the body heats up, the blood vessels expand. This leads to a decrease in blood pressure, and the heart is forced to work harder.

This can cause an unpleasant symptom - heat rash or swelling of the legs.

The body responds to an increase in temperature by increasing blood flow to the skin, bringing heat from within the body to the surface. At the same time, sweat is released, evaporating and cooling the body.

But sweating leads to the loss of fluid and salt and, importantly, the balance between them in the body.

This combined with low blood pressure can lead to heat exhaustion.

It has the following symptoms:

• dizziness;
• nausea;
• loss of consciousness;
• confusion;
• muscle spasms;
• headache;
• heavy sweating;
• fatigue.

With a strong decrease in pressure, the risk of heart attacks increases.

Why does our body react this way?

The body temperature at which our body feels most comfortable and functions normally is between 36 and 37,5 degrees.

But when the weather gets hotter, the body has to work harder to maintain its core temperature.

Thermoreceptors on our skin, deep tissues and organs immediately detect an increase in temperature - even by one degree. If the air temperature is higher than body temperature, we start to sweat to cool ourselves.

Evaporating, sweat absorbs a large amount of heat from the surface of the skin. As a result, body temperature does not rise.

Heat exhaustion

At 40-41°C, heat exhaustion is possible, and even higher temperatures cause the body to “turn off”.

Chemical processes begin to be disturbed, the cells of the body are destroyed and there is a risk of developing multiple organ failure.

At this point, the body cannot even sweat because the blood supply to the skin stops and the skin becomes cold and clammy.

Heatstroke, which can occur at temperatures above 40°C, requires professional medical attention, and if not treated immediately, the likelihood of death is quite high.

The best way to cool down is to immerse yourself in ice water or place ice packs under your arms and in the groin area, where the large blood vessels are located. But it all depends on how long a person was exposed to the open sun.

As George Havenit, Professor of Environmental Physiology and Ergonomics at Loughborough University, explains, air humidity also plays a big role.

It determines the intensity of evaporation of water from the surface of human skin. And the evaporation of moisture is of great importance for maintaining a constant body temperature.

If the humidity is high, our ability to sweat deteriorates and this makes us feel bad.

But when the weather is hot and dry, sweat appears, which evaporates, and we cool down and thus avoid overheating.

And for this it is necessary to maintain the right level of water in the body.

For example, a person running at a speed of about 15 km per hour at temperatures up to 37 degrees Celsius needs to release four liters of sweat per hour.

extreme heat kills

The heat can lead to death. People mostly die from heart attacks and strokes.

The heat also has different levels of threat.

For example, at a temperature of 25-26°C, the mortality rate as a result of heat increases.

However, evidence suggests that people are more likely to die from heat in the spring or early summer, rather than during peak temperatures.

You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple - read it all on ForumDaily New York.

This may be due to the fact that with the onset of summer, we begin to change our daily behavior and get used to the heat.

Who is at the highest risk

The elderly and those with chronic diseases suffer the most.

For example, diabetics dehydrate very quickly in the heat, which leads to the fact that blood sugar levels begin to rise.

It is also not easy for babies in the summer heat: they are naughty and do not sleep well, they suffer from diaper rash of the skin.

It is possible to suffer from heat not only physically, for example, having received heatstroke or sunburn. The impact on mental health can be no less tangible.

According to experts, negative mental reactions can develop in people with serious chronic diseases, such as dementia.

Also, the heat pesters those who live on the upper floors of urban high-rise buildings.

What to do in case of overheating and heat stroke:

• move the victim to a cool place;
• ask him to lie down and raise his legs;
• give the victim cold water to drink;
• apply wet, cool compresses in the area of ​​​​large vessels (lateral surface of the neck, axillary areas) and on the forehead;
• if the condition of the victim does not improve within 30 minutes, it may be a heat stroke;
• in any case, you should consult a doctor.

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