(KTNV) — The Las Vegas valley isn't alone in experiencing the hottest July on record this year. Death Valley National Park experienced record-breaking heat with a 24-hour average temperature of 108.5 degrees, the National Park Service announced in a news release on Friday.
That's just the average 24-hour temperature, though. When you go by the average high temperature, the record-breaking number is a toasty 121.9 degrees, officials noted. There were only seven days in July where the temperature didn't reach at least 120 degrees.
Park officials say the hottest temperature of the month came on July 7 when the weather station at Furnace Creek recorded 129.2 degrees.
"High temperatures only tell half the story with overnight lows regularly staying in the high 90s and low 100s," according to NPS. "The average low temperature of 95.2 [degrees] meant that there was little relief overnight."
For some park visitors, the heat was life-threatening and even deadly. The National Park Service says its rangers responded to multiple heat-related incidents, including one fatality where heat was a factor and another incident where a man had to be rescued from sand dunes after losing his flip flops and experiencing second-degree burns.
"We just experienced the hottest month in history in the hottest place on Earth! Six of the 10 hottest summer have come in the past 10 years, which should serve as a wake up call," park Superintendent Mike Reynolds stated in the news release. "Record-breaking months like this one could become the norm as we continue to see global temperatures rise."
Channel 13 climate reporter Geneva Zoltek learned the recent streak of high temperatures in Southern Nevada would be highly unlikely without the prevalence of greenhouse gases.
She spoke to Climate Central meteorologist Shel Winkley, who says, "It is supposed to be hot [in the] summer time, but this is exceptional heat driven by climate change..."
"Carbon is a natural element of our atmosphere, but we're adding an exceptional amount that the earth can't regulate," Winkley said.
WATCH: Zoltek breaks down how and why our recent hot streak in Las Vegas was made more likely due to climate change:
Death Valley's superintendent cautioned visitors to "plan ahead and come prepared to face extreme temperatures during the summer months."
If you're traveling to Death Valley in the summer, you're urged to stay within a 10-minute walk of an air-conditioned vehicle, to drink plenty of water, eat salty snacks and to wear a hat and sunscreen.
