What's the warmest temperature you ever experienced.

[Simone Lussardi]

I have experienced the following on my skin:

Temp: +39 C

Dew: +31 C

Location: Wuhan, the hottest city of China

Time: July 17th, 2002

I'll post the sounding of that hell of day as soon as the website will start to work again. It has been a hell, the Heat Index was over +60 C for all the afternoon. I would NEVER want to experience something like that again. In the evening we had storms, you can imagine the CAPE....

:? :wink:

 

[Greg Campbell]

Was anyone around for that 121°F in Phoenix in June 1990? Cripes! They had to close the airport for a few hours because they were worried about planes blowing out their tires

I was living in Northern California at the time, but still to this day people talk about that day once in awhile. Actually, Sky Harbor hit a withering 122°F that day. What I heard about the airport was that the FAA's operational guidelines for aircraft by the book only went as high as 120°F and because of this, planes were grounded as there was no operational parameter for temps above that range! That is my understanding, but any aviators, correct me if I'm wrong on that.

(As a non-aviator) that sounds about right. As Richard points out, aircraft loose substantial lift and power as the altitude density decreases. AFAIK, part of a pilots' pre-flight involves calculating take off distance and other critical flight parameters using handy charts and tables in the plane's "users manual." If the manufacturer's performance data stops at 120, proceedures may bar the pilot/engineer from extrapolating.

But western Arizona, although forbidding esp this time of year, is a surprising place. Enter one of the mountain ranges out there, such as the extremely rugged KOFA (stands for King of Arizona mine) and you will find native palms and bighorn sheep, perfectly at home on the crags. I have hiked back in there and seen the critters myself, just standing right in front of me. The temp drops quite a bit inside the shelter of the mountains. Although outside of tinajas (small rare pools of rainwater, if you're lucky) water is extremely scarce. I never go there in the summer's searing heat, that's for sure.

I'm glad at least one other person on earth understand the charm of desert hiking. When I tell friends and relatives of my plans to tromp around Death Valley, they look at me as if I was completely insane. (I think they imagine a madman wandering the playa at high noon.) As you point out a little elevation and a canyon's shelter make all the difference. Apart from the cooler, wooded highlands, DV has dozens of unique canyons that I find utterly fascinating. They offer gorgeous scenery, wildly varied geology/fossils, and surprisingly abundant plant and animal life.

Having recently moved to Tucson, I'm looking forward to making trips to the Salt River area this fall.

-Greg

 

[tony rogers]

the hottest temp iv'e ever been in was 111 F on july 16,2001. looks like it'l breakn that record

 

[Jim Southard]

Ah, yes, Death Valley. Wonderful, scenic Death Valley. When I was living in southern California, I remember one June day when we "broke in" a buddy's brand new Explorer Sport Trac by taking it out to the desert. That was our first mistake.

We went out into the Mojave Desert... I'd say it was somewhere between 110-115 at that point. Our driver decided he needed to go off the paved roads... that was our second mistake.

He decided to leave the dirt road we were on near Afton Canyon (a notoriously sandy place where the Mojave River ends). That was our third mistake.

We tried not to tell him to drive into the river sink... but he wouldn't listen. He thought he could handle it. We should have jumped out. That was our fourth mistake.

After we got the gigantic beast un-stuck from the sand, back on the dirt road, and finally back on the paved road, we went to Baker for lunch. That was our fifth mistake.

We had a very questionable lunch, and headed out. When we left Baker, the World's Tallest Thermometer read 121. Instead of going home, our esteemed driver decided to head north on CA 127 to Death Valley. Not killing him then and there was our sixth mistake.

Thank goodness for air conditioning! Death Valley actually was very cool... not too many people braved the heat that day, so we had everything pretty much to ourselves. I do remember getting out of the car near Badwater, and almost bursting immediately into flames. I think "Aaaah! My a** is on fire!" were my exact words...

We didn't have a thermometer with us, so I don't know exactly how hot it was in Death Valley that day. It felt significantly hotter in DV than it was in Baker, and based on the reported high of 128 that day, we guessed that at the time we passed through, it was 126 degrees.

Although I think Yuma wins the heat index prize... I've seen numerous obs there and in California's adjacent Imperial Valley where the heat indices were well over 130. Wonder what it must be like to the south, on the Mexican shores of the Gulf of California? <shudder>

 

[Austin Ivey]

Growing up in SE Texas where the dewpoints commonly exceeded 75F for 7 months of the year, I experienced heat indices above 110F nearly everyday from mid-June to late August. The hottest temperature I remember however, was during the infamous s. texas heat wave of 2000 when all time record temperatures were broken. This is really something considering it is already hot down there most of the year. The temp where I was going to college reached 114F during the afternoon with a dew around 65. Miserable!

I heard a lady say it was hot here in Los Alamos yesterday when the temp. was 78 and the dew was 35. Also, when it rains and the dewpoint "shoots" up to a whooping 45 (like yesterday) people call it muggy! They don't realize how good they have it up here at 7500 feet.

 

[Sarah Albyn]

For me 105 with a heat index of 115 and I think the dew point was well over 70 in Bristol WI at a horse show!

It was nasty!

 

[Susan Strom]

Greg wrote

I'm glad at least one other person on earth understand the charm of desert hiking. When I tell friends and relatives of my plans to tromp around Death Valley, they look at me as if I was completely insane. (I think they imagine a madman wandering the playa at high noon.) As you point out a little elevation and a canyon's shelter make all the difference. Apart from the cooler, wooded highlands, DV has dozens of unique canyons that I find utterly fascinating. They offer gorgeous scenery, wildly varied geology/fossils, and surprisingly abundant plant and animal life.

What's wild about the desert is the highly adapted, extremely clever animal and plant life, which is everywhere (just not apparent from car windows). People have to walk though the desert to see how alive it is, it is amazing. It is a funny feeling that in the desert, you are always being watched... by owls, hawks, foxes, cats, big horn sheep, many eyes looking.

The other thing that's wild is how time is laid bare for all to see, in the rock, the petrogylphs, or ruins of 1000 year old Indian dwellings just sitting there out in the open in arid landscapes. That is really cool. But it is hot this time of year, not the time to go ambling about. Nov-March is amazing. Or see the spring bloom.

DV is also a wild place. One can go from the lowest point in the US (Badwater at over -250) to Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the continental US at 14k+, in the same day's drive.

DV can get warm certain times of year, no doubt. Some places simply have cold or hot seasonal limitations for humans. Aside from that, running around on DV's wavy fun sand dunes in February is pure joy.

Summer heat notwithstanding, I would never have named the place Death Valley, Funeral Mountains, Badlands, etc. Names like that just show a lack of understanding and appreciation. When the ranges surrounding Death Valley turned purple at sunset, the dunes turned shadowy and the wind whispered in my ear, "Death" never crossed my mind. I could think of many other names.

No matter how extreme the terrain of a place, it would be better to just call it like it is instead of naming a place something that might devalue it. That makes excuses for harming the environment, leaving mining tailings, illegal dumping or polluting the water. Why not, it's "Devil's Golf Course", so who cares?

I like a name that describes how a place really is. For Death Valley, there are better words: Vast, Wild, Diverse, Endless, Crags, Dunes, Shadows, Changing, Windy, Starry, Mountain, Fortress. Any other name but Death.

<end soapbox>

 

[W. Grant Dade]

Interesting subject for my first post. My hottest temp was 111°F at Elthswoth AFB, SD(very dry heat) and in Warner Robins, GA 1986. The temp in Warner Robins was measured at my house. I think the high at RAFB was 109°F. THe highest heat index I can remember was 127°F with an air temp of 107°F also in Warner Robins, GA. South Central Georgia gets too hot. Moved away in the late 80's and wont go back.

 

[Steve Jackson]

My hottest experience was on vacation in September 1990 on the Greek island of Rhodes, in a town called Lindos. The outside temp in the shade hit 130F with no wind at all. It was a relief to get back to the town I was staying at with a cool temp of 110F with a slight breeze blowing. Hottest temp at home in the UK was 101F in 1986 i think it was. Over in the UK we are sweating if it hits 80F !!

 

[Greg Campbell]

Originally posted by Susan Strom


What's wild about the desert is the highly adapted, extremely clever animal and plant life, which is everywhere (just not apparent from car windows). People have to walk though the desert to see how alive it is, it is amazing.

That's half the battle - getting people out of their bloody cars. Even in a relatively reassuring environment like Yosemite, the vast majority don't wander more than a hundred yards from their vehicle. A sizeable fraction never leave the 'safety' of the car. Apart from Mosaic and Golden Canyons, I've met only -one- hiker in the all the other DV canyons I've hiked. Most of these, such as Fall and Grotto, are less than a mile from the trailhead/paved road.

DV can get warm certain times of year, no doubt. Some places simply have cold or hot seasonal limitations for humans. Aside from that, running around on DV's wavy fun sand dunes in February is pure joy.

Try it at night, under a full moon.

Summer heat notwithstanding, I would never have named the place Death Valley, Funeral Mountains, Badlands, etc. Names like that just show a lack of understanding and appreciation.

In the emigrant's defense, after surviving the arid desolation of central Utah and Nevada, taking a wrong turn into DV would be a rather discouraging turn of events. Using or adding the original Shoshone names to local features would be a nice gesture, as would giving the Timbisha tribe autonomy over partions of the park and/or it's operation.

-Greg

 

[Simone Lussardi]

Anyone ever experienced a heat index greater of 140 F ? :roll:

Just curios, since seems my post has not been a surprise to you.

[Broken External Image]:http://62.202.7.134/hpbo/images/6641.gif

PS: sorry, it was 16 July 2002 and not 17 as I wrote above

PS 2: Wuhan is located on the 30 N....

 

[Jacquie Kukuk]

I live in Yuma, AZ and on July 28, 1995 we recorded 126 for the high (this was the same day they had to close Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix). Yeh, it was hot!

Jacquie

 

[Charles Kuster]

hottest temp.

The warmest temperature I have ever been in was 128 degrees F, in Death Valley California in July of 2002. This was the official reading at Furnace Creek on July 9th, 2002.

 

[B Ozanne]

Anyone ever experienced a heat index greater of 140 F ?

Just curios, since seems my post has not been a surprise to you.

Simone, that is very imrpessive. It slipped by me because you had those numbers in celsius. We all appreciate the scientific values of the metric system in the States but they are hard to visualize. When someone tells you the temp is going to be 35C you think hot. For me, I have to think about it, do a quick conversion to Fahrenheit, and then compare it to what I know as hot.

Southeast Asia really kicks butt in terms of heat indices. Although absolute temps are the highest in deserts, dry air often means the heat index is lower than the air temp. Some of the highest heat indices I have experienced were in Thailand, 110's & 120's. For actual air temp 110's in Utah, nothing compared to what some of you have seen.

 

[Simone Lussardi]

Anyone ever experienced a heat index greater of 140 F ?

Just curios, since seems my post has not been a surprise to you.

Simone, that is very imrpessive. It slipped by me because you had those numbers in celsius. We all appreciate the scientific values of the metric system in the States but they are hard to visualize. When someone tells you the temp is going to be 35C you think hot. For me, I have to think about it, do a quick conversion to Fahrenheit, and then compare it to what I know as hot.

Southeast Asia really kicks butt in terms of heat indices. Although absolute temps are the highest in deserts, dry air often means the heat index is lower than the air temp. Some of the highest heat indices I have experienced were in Thailand, 110's & 120's. For actual air temp 110's in Utah, nothing compared to what some of you have seen.

Yeh, that's why I repeat with the °F, I guess the reason was that :wink:

By the way yes... SE Asia is terrible for combination of heat and humidity, especially in central China's provinces, where we usually have a couple of week of high pressure at 500 HP centered over central China in July/August, with SW flow to pump up a blob of hot humid air at 850 hpa (>30°C, with dews well near 30°C as well....). The result is a powerful inversion with incredible temperature below and humidity stellar due to the watery plains of central China.

The effect is a HELL, my wife was born in Wuhan and she does not feel hot even here in the tropics :lol:

Of course the energy in such situation is a loaded nuclear weapon, with dews in the order of 30°C and temps around 39°C, when the inversion breaks supercells can form even with a very weak shear. That year, after the hot wave, a supercell form north of my location devasting a huge area with tornadoes, hail and winds. Unfortunately many people perished.

:wink: