Editing Death Valley National Park (section)

==Climate==

[[File:DevaxsectSM.svg|right|thumb|upright=1.8|A cross section through the highest and lowest points in Death Valley National Park]]

According to the [[Köppen climate classification]] system, Death Valley National Park has a hot desert climate (''BWh''). The [[plant hardiness zone]] at Badwater Basin is 9b with an average annual extreme minimum temperature of {{convert|28.0|°F|°C|abbr=on}}.<ref name="USDA">{{cite web|url=https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/InteractiveMap.aspx|publisher=[[United States Department of Agriculture]]|access-date=2019-07-03|title=USDA Interactive Plant Hardiness Map|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704214427/https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/phzmweb/interactivemap.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Death Valley is the hottest and driest place in North America due to its lack of surface water and low relief. It is so frequently the hottest spot in the United States that many tabulations of the highest daily temperatures in the country omit Death Valley as a matter of course.<ref>Hickcox, David H., "Temperature extremes. (United States) (1996 Weather)", ''Weatherwise'', February 1, 1997. Abstract [https://web.archive.org/web/20061219142352/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-19457857.html here]</ref><ref>Hickcox, David, "Temperature extremes. (daily maximum and minimum temperatures in the US)", ''Weatherwise'', March 1, 1999; abstract at [http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-54311958.html Encyclopedia.com]</ref>

On the afternoon of July 10, 1913, the [[National Weather Service|United States Weather Bureau]] recorded a high temperature of {{convert|134|°F|°C|abbr=on}} at [[Furnace Creek, California|Greenland Ranch]] (now [[Furnace Creek, California|Furnace Creek]]) in Death Valley.<ref name=WorldHighTemp>{{cite web|title=World Meteorological Organization World Weather/Climate Extremes Archive |url=http://wmo.asu.edu/world-highest-temperature |access-date=10 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130104143844/http://wmo.asu.edu/world-highest-temperature |archive-date=4 January 2013 }}</ref> This temperature stands as the highest ambient air temperature ever recorded at the surface of the Earth. (A report of a temperature of {{convert|58|°C|°F|abbr=on}} recorded in Libya in 1922 was later determined to be inaccurate.)<ref name=El_Azizia>{{cite journal|last=El Fadli|first=KI|title=World Meteorological Organization Assessment of the Purported World Record 58°C Temperature Extreme at El Azizia, Libya (13 September 1922)|journal=Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society|date=September 2012|doi=10.1175/BAMS-D-12-00093.1|volume=94|issue=2|page=199|display-authors=etal|bibcode=2013BAMS...94..199E|doi-access=free}}</ref> Daily summer temperatures of {{convert|120|°F|°C}} or greater are common, as well as below freezing nightly temperatures in the winter.<ref name="Wright1997p611">{{harvnb|Wright and Miller|1997|p=611}}</ref> July is the hottest month, with an average high of {{convert|117|°F|°C}} and an average low of {{convert|91|°F|°C}}. December is the coldest month, with an average high of {{convert|66|°F|°C}} and an average low of {{convert|41|°F|°C}}. The record low is {{convert|15|°F|°C|1}}. There are an average of 197.3 days annually with highs of {{convert|90|°F|°C|1}} or higher and 146.9 days annually with highs of {{convert|100|°F|°C|1}} or higher. Freezing temperatures of {{convert|32|°F|°C}} or lower occur on an average of 8.6 days annually.

Several of the larger Death Valley springs derive their water from a regional [[aquifer]], which extends as far east as southern [[Nevada]] and [[Utah]]. Much of the water in this aquifer has been there for many thousands of years, since the [[Quaternary glaciation|Pleistocene ice ages]], when the [[climate]] was cooler and wetter. Today's drier climate does not provide enough precipitation to recharge the aquifer at the rate at which water is being withdrawn.<ref name="FocusWater">{{harvnb|USGS|2004|p="Furnace Creek"}}</ref>

[[File:TelescopePeak031411.jpg|thumb|left|[[Telescope Peak]]]]
The highest range within the park is the Panamint Range, with [[Telescope Peak]] being its highest point at {{convert|11049|ft|m}}.<ref name="Wright1997p611"/> The Death Valley region is a transitional zone in the northernmost part of the [[Mojave Desert]] and consists of five mountain ranges removed from the Pacific Ocean. Three of these are significant barriers: the [[Sierra Nevada]], the [[Argus Range]], and the Panamint Range. Air masses tend to lose moisture as they are forced up over mountain ranges, in what climatologists call a [[rainshadow effect]].

The exaggerated [[rain shadow]] effect for the Death Valley area makes it [[North America]]'s driest spot, receiving about {{convert|1.5|in|mm}} of rainfall annually at Badwater, and some years fail to register any measurable rainfall.<ref>{{harvnb|Wright and Miller|1997|pp=610–611}}</ref> Annual average precipitation varies from {{convert|1.92|in|mm|0}} overall below sea level to over {{convert|15|in|mm}} in the higher mountains that surround the valley.<ref name="USGSweather">[[#USGSweather|USGS weather]]</ref> When rain does arrive it often does so in intense storms that cause [[flash flood]]s which remodel the landscape and sometimes create very shallow ephemeral lakes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/nature/flood-2015.htm|title=Flash Floods of 2015 – Death Valley National Park (U.S. National Park Service)|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=2018-02-03}}</ref>

[[File:LakeBadwater crop.jpg|thumb|[[Badwater Basin|Lake Badwater]], March 2005]]
The hot, dry climate makes it difficult for soil to form. [[Mass wasting]], the down-slope movement of loose rock, is therefore the dominant erosive force in mountainous areas, resulting in "skeletonized" ranges (mountains with very little soil on them). [[Dune|Sand dune]]s in the park, while famous, are not nearly as widespread as their fame or the dryness of the area may suggest. The Mesquite Flat dune field is the most easily accessible from the paved road just east of Stovepipe Wells in the north-central part of the valley and is primarily made of [[quartz]] sand. Another dune field is just {{convert|10|mi|km}} to the north but is instead mostly composed of [[travertine]] sand.<ref name="Kiver1999p2783">{{harvnb|Kiver|1999|p=283}}</ref> The highest dunes in the park, and some of the highest in North America, are located in the [[Eureka Valley Sand Dunes|Eureka Valley]] about {{convert|50|mi|km}} to the north of Stovepipe Wells, while the [[Panamint Valley]] dunes and the [[Saline Valley, California|Saline Valley]] dunes are located west and northwest of the town, respectively. The Ibex dune field is near the seldom-visited Ibex Hill in the southernmost part of the park, just south of the Saratoga Springs marshland. All the latter four dune fields are accessible only via unpaved roads. Prevailing winds in the winter come from the north, and prevailing winds in the summer come from the south. Thus, the overall position of the dune fields remains more or less fixed.

There are rare exceptions to the dry nature of the area. In 2005, an unusually wet winter created a 'lake' in the Badwater Basin and led to the greatest wildflower season in the park's history.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna7182113 |title=Death Valles Alive with Wildflowers |agency=Associated Press |date=March 14, 2005 |publisher=NBC News |access-date=July 31, 2019 }}</ref> In October 2015, a "1000 year flood event" with over three inches of rain caused major damage in Death Valley National Park.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-adv-death-valley-floods-20151110-story.html|title=After historic flooding, Death Valley gears up for 'a long, hard recovery'|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=2015-11-10|access-date=2016-05-11}}</ref> A similar widespread storm in August 2022 damaged pavement and deposited debris on nearly every road, trapping 1,000 residents and visitors overnight.<ref name="LAT 2022-08-07">{{Cite news |last1=Wigglesworth |first1=Alex |last2=Ryan |first2=Harriet |date=2022-08-07 |title=Destructive rain in Death Valley and flooded Vegas casinos mark a summer of extreme weather |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-06/as-death-valley-dries-off-from-near-record-rains-some-see-fingerprints-of-climate-change |access-date=2022-08-07 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

{{Weather box
| width = auto
| location = Death Valley National Park, California, 1991–2020 normals,{{efn|Mean maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.}} extremes 1911–present
| single line = Y
| Jan high F = 67.2
| Feb high F = 73.7
| Mar high F = 82.6
| Apr high F = 91.0
| May high F = 100.7
| Jun high F = 111.1
| Jul high F = 117.4
| Aug high F = 115.9
| Sep high F = 107.7
| Oct high F = 93.3
| Nov high F = 77.4
| Dec high F = 65.6
| year high F = 92.0
| Jan mean F = 54.9
| Feb mean F = 61.3
| Mar mean F = 69.8
| Apr mean F = 77.9
| May mean F = 87.8
| Jun mean F = 97.5
| Jul mean F = 104.2
| Aug mean F = 102.3
| Sep mean F = 93.4
| Oct mean F = 78.9
| Nov mean F = 64.0
| Dec mean F = 53.4
| year mean F = 78.8
| Jan low F = 42.5
| Feb low F = 49.0
| Mar low F = 57.1
| Apr low F = 64.8
| May low F = 75.0
| Jun low F = 84.0
| Jul low F = 91.0
| Aug low F = 88.7
| Sep low F = 79.1
| Oct low F = 64.4
| Nov low F = 50.5
| Dec low F = 41.1
| year low F = 65.6
| Jan record high F = 90
| Feb record high F = 97
| Mar record high F = 103
| Apr record high F = 113
| May record high F = 122
| Jun record high F = 129
| Jul record high F = 134
| Aug record high F = 130
| Sep record high F = 127
| Oct record high F = 114
| Nov record high F = 98
| Dec record high F = 89
| year record high F = 
| Jan avg record high F = 78.4
| Feb avg record high F = 85.1
| Mar avg record high F = 95.4
| Apr avg record high F = 106.0
| May avg record high F = 113.6
| Jun avg record high F = 122.0
| Jul avg record high F = 125.9
| Aug avg record high F = 123.4
| Sep avg record high F = 118.1
| Oct avg record high F = 106.2
| Nov avg record high F = 90.0
| Dec avg record high F = 77.8
| year avg record high F = 126.7
| Jan avg record low F = 30.5
| Feb avg record low F = 36.1
| Mar avg record low F = 42.8
| Apr avg record low F = 49.8
| May avg record low F = 58.5
| Jun avg record low F = 67.9
| Jul avg record low F = 78.3
| Aug avg record low F = 75.3
| Sep avg record low F = 65.4
| Oct avg record low F = 49.5
| Nov avg record low F = 35.9
| Dec avg record low F = 29.0
| year avg record low F = 28.0
| Jan record low F = 15
| Feb record low F = 20
| Mar record low F = 26
| Apr record low F = 35
| May record low F = 42
| Jun record low F = 49
| Jul record low F = 62
| Aug record low F = 65
| Sep record low F = 41
| Oct record low F = 32
| Nov record low F = 24
| Dec record low F = 19
| year record low F = 
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 0.37
| Feb precipitation inch = 0.52
| Mar precipitation inch = 0.25
| Apr precipitation inch = 0.10
| May precipitation inch = 0.03
| Jun precipitation inch = 0.05
| Jul precipitation inch = 0.10
| Aug precipitation inch = 0.10
| Sep precipitation inch = 0.20
| Oct precipitation inch = 0.12
| Nov precipitation inch = 0.10
| Dec precipitation inch = 0.26
| year precipitation inch = 2.20
| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
| Jan precipitation days = 2.4
| Feb precipitation days = 2.9
| Mar precipitation days = 2.0
| Apr precipitation days = 1.1
| May precipitation days = 0.9
| Jun precipitation days = 0.3
| Jul precipitation days = 1.1
| Aug precipitation days = 0.9
| Sep precipitation days = 0.8
| Oct precipitation days = 1.1
| Nov precipitation days = 0.9
| Dec precipitation days = 1.6
| year precipitation days = 16.0
| Jan snow inch = 
| Feb snow inch = 
| Mar snow inch = 
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| May snow inch = 
| Jun snow inch = 
| Jul snow inch = 
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| Sep snow inch = 
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| year snow inch = 
| unit snow days = 0.1 in
| Jan snow days = 
| Feb snow days = 
| Mar snow days = 
| Apr snow days = 
| May snow days = 
| Jun snow days = 
| Jul snow days = 
| Aug snow days = 
| Sep snow days = 
| Oct snow days = 
| Nov snow days = 
| Dec snow days = 
| year snow days = 
| source 1 = NOAA<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=vef
| title = NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data
| publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
| access-date = June 12, 2021
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00042319&format=pdf
| title = Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020
| publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
| access-date = June 12, 2021
}}</ref>
| source = 
}}

{{Weather box |width=auto
|location = Death Valley (Cow Creek Station)
|single line = yes
|collapsed = Y
|Jan record high F = 84
|Feb record high F = 89
|Mar record high F = 100
|Apr record high F = 110
|May record high F = 120
|Jun record high F = 125
|Jul record high F = 126
|Aug record high F = 125
|Sep record high F = 123
|Oct record high F = 111
|Nov record high F = 95
|Dec record high F = 84
|year record high F = 126
|Jan high F = 64.4
|Feb high F = 71.6
|Mar high F = 80.6
|Apr high F = 90.9
|May high F = 100.0
|Jun high F = 109.3
|Jul high F = 116.0
|Aug high F = 113.8
|Sep high F = 106.9
|Oct high F = 92.1
|Nov high F = 75.4
|Dec high F = 65.9
|year high F = 90.6
|Jan mean F = 52.5
|Feb mean F = 59.1
|Mar mean F = 67.4
|Apr mean F = 77.5
|May mean F = 86.4
|Jun mean F = 95.3
|Jul mean F = 102.1
|Aug mean F = 99.9
|Sep mean F = 92.1
|Oct mean F = 78.1
|Nov mean F = 62.3
|Dec mean F = 54.1
|year mean F = 77.2
|Jan low F = 40.6
|Feb low F = 46.6
|Mar low F = 54.3
|Apr low F = 64.1
|May low F = 72.7
|Jun low F = 81.2
|Jul low F = 88.4
|Aug low F = 86.0
|Sep low F = 77.4
|Oct low F = 64.0
|Nov low F = 49.3
|Dec low F = 42.4
|year low F = 63.9
|Jan record low F = 19
|Feb record low F = 30
|Mar record low F = 33
|Apr record low F = 45
|May record low F = 52
|Jun record low F = 54
|Jul record low F = 69
|Aug record low F = 69
|Sep record low F = 57
|Oct record low F = 40
|Nov record low F = 32
|Dec record low F = 27
|year record low F = 19
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 0.24
|Feb precipitation inch = 0.32
|Mar precipitation inch = 0.20
|Apr precipitation inch = 0.20
|May precipitation inch = 0.10
|Jun precipitation inch = 0.02
|Jul precipitation inch = 0.10
|Aug precipitation inch = 0.11
|Sep precipitation inch = 0.12
|Oct precipitation inch = 0.11
|Nov precipitation inch = 0.20
|Dec precipitation inch = 0.29
|year precipitation inch = 2.00
|source 1 = http://www.wrcc.dri.edu<ref>{{cite web|author=WRCC|title=Western U.S. Climate Historical Summaries Weather|url=http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ca2092|publisher=Desert Research Institute|access-date=2009-06-03}}</ref>
|date=August 2010}}