A motorcyclist died as a result of heat exposure on Saturday in Death Valley National Park.
According to the NY Post, the motorcyclist was riding with a group of five other bikers through the park on Saturday. Temperatures during their ride reached a sweltering 128 degrees. The heat made it impossible for a helicopter to reach the riders, and take them to a nearby hospital. Upon their arrival, responders treated four of the riders at the scene. A fifth rider was rushed to a nearby Las Vegas hospital for care.
Park Superintendent Mike Reynolds warned visitors of the dangers of the extreme temperatures. Reynolds noted that while many are excited to come experience world record-setting temperatures, they should be cautious in their approach. Spending extended time outside of air-conditioned vehicles or buildings will put any visitor at risk of heat-related health complications.
Extreme Heat in National Park Results in Motorcyclist's Death
Death Valley National Park will only get hotter as the summer continues on. Furnace Creek, California, which sits within Death Valley, could potentially reach 130 degrees this week. The hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth is said to have been 134 degrees in Death Valley in 1913. This fact is controversial, as some argue it is the 130-degree measurement that was made in Death Valley in 2021.
On Sunday, the National Weather Service had placed an excessive heat warning across 36 million Americans. Likewise, many high-temperature records were set across the West and Pacific Northwest United States over the weekend.
Redding, California set a new high-temperature mark at 119 degrees. Meanwhile, Phoenix set a record for the hottest daily low total, at 92 degrees. Las Vegas reached a record 120 degrees, and Salem, Oregon reached a record 103 degrees.
Heat-related deaths unfortunately continue to stack up as summer marches on. Last week, a 10-year-old died as a result of heat complications on South Mountain Preserve, in Phoenix. The tragedy has not been added to the current count of 13 confirmed deaths in Maricopa County, Arizona, as a result of heat exposure. On top of the confirmed 13, another 160 are suspected of having been connected to the hot weather punishing communities across the entire continental United States.
