Temperatures in Death Valley, California, reached 130 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday, as local utilities barely managed to maintain power to the state in the midst of a heat wave.
The 130º reading is one of the highest temperatures ever recorded at the site — and the hottest temperature recorded on earth since 1913.
The National Weather Service tweeted: “Per the climate data in xmACIS2, this is the first time since 1913 that Death Valley has reached 130F. In July 2013, it last reached 129F. If valid, it would be the hottest August temperature at the site by 3F.”
Per the climate data in xmACIS2, this is the first time since 1913 that Death Valley has reached 130F. In July 2013, it last reached 129F. If valid, it would be the hottest August temperature at the site by 3F. @NWSVegas pic.twitter.com/gZNBW4NXI4
— NWS WPC (@NWSWPC) August 16, 2020
The Los Angeles Times reported that the temperature of 130 degrees Fahrenheit was “possibly the highest mercury reading on Earth since 1913,” adding: “If the National Weather Service’s recording is correct, it would also be among the top-three highest temperatures to have ever been measured in Death Valley, as well as the highest temperature ever seen there during the month of August.”
A temperature of 134 degrees was recorded at Death Valley in 1913, which is the hottest ever measured on Earth, though the Times notes that the measurement has been disputed.
The West Coast is in the middle of a heat wave that caused rolling blackouts in California on Friday and Saturday for the first time since 2001, as a natural gas power plant failed, and there was not enough wind or solar power to make up the difference.
Authorities told residents to expect a third straight evening of blackouts on Sunday, though that later turned out to be a false alarm.
Based on forecasts for electricity supply and demand, CA's electric grid operator has communicated to PG&E that the utility does not need to employ rotating power outages in the early to late evening tonight. https://t.co/tcmjhpsmzv pic.twitter.com/7HBc9RUztk
— PG&E (@PGE4Me) August 17, 2020
The New York Times reports that experts are stumped by the blackouts. Conservatives warn that they may become more frequent if policies like the Green New Deal are implemented. Under former Vice President Joe Biden’s version of the plan, the U.S. would replace 100% of its electricity generating capacity with renewable energy sources — solar, wind, and biomass — by 2035.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). His new book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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