Despite a dangerous heat wave punishing Death Valley National Park, hundreds of European tourists and adventurers from across the U.S. continue to flock to the desolate region, known as one of the Earth’s hottest places. French, Spanish, English, and Swiss tourists left their air-conditioned rental cars to marvel at the barren landscape, a stark contrast to the snow-capped mountains and rolling green hills of their homelands. American adventurers, like Drew Belt from Mississippi, found the novelty of the extreme heat exciting, viewing it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity akin to walking on Mars.
The heat wave, blamed for a motorcyclist’s death in Death Valley, also led to record daily high temperatures in Oregon, where six deaths were suspected to be heat-related. Across the U.S., more than 161 million people were under heat alerts, particularly in Western states where dozens of locations broke previous heat records. At Death Valley National Park, tourists braved the scorching temperatures to take photos in front of a giant thermometer, although officials noted that the thermometer may not be an official temperature sensor, providing exaggerated readings for dramatic effect.
The relentless heat across the Western U.S. led to an increase in wildfires in California, with firefighters battling at least 18 blazes. In Nevada, Las Vegas experienced temperatures above 100 F by early morning, while Arizona faced record-breaking temperatures prompting excessive heat warnings. The National Weather Service extended the warnings through the weekend, highlighting the continued hot and dry conditions that are fueling the wildfires. Despite the severe weather conditions, tourists and residents marveled at the extreme heat, calling it impressive and reminiscent of walking into a wave of dry Mars-like heat.
