07-12-2021

Dirk Baker setting up a station at Death Valley

LOGAN, UTAH —

Epic Event

The National Weather Prediction Center reported on Friday, July 9, 2021, “Death Valley, CA reached 130F today…their highest temperature reading of 2021.” Record temperatures in western North America following this summer’s heat dome have come just 11 months after the National Weather Service (NWS) recorded a temperature of 54.4 °C (130 °F) at the same location. A validation test of last year’s temperature recordings is being conducted by NWS and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to determine if a new record was set.

The image shows an automated weather station owned and operated by the NWS located on right. Photo: Dirk Baker, Ph.D.

Note: This article does not express the opinions of the NWS, the NPS, WMO, or any agency’s personnel, nor does it imply an endorsement of Campbell Scientific by the agencies listed.

Significance of Event

The purpose of disseminating this information is to highlight remarkable climate events and share the impact these measurements have on communities in our country and around the globe. The highest temperature recorded within the Anthropocene era sets a new mindset for how we live and impact our environment. We as a company see the value of making accurate measurements to help individuals, industries, organizations, and agencies make educated decisions about their practices. Once the official record is released, we will discuss it in a future blog article.

Organization Background

Campbell Scientific has been a premium provider for measurement solutions to benefit the world since 1974. Campbell Scientific weather stations are on Mount Everest in Asia, and provide weather data for wildfire mitigation in California and flood control during epic hurricane events.

Our solutions deliver information that helps mitigate severe weather casualties; help scientists gather data to assist in the understanding of climate change and other human-made environmental impacts; and support countless organizations, institutions, and national agencies in providing more efficient meteorological and hydrological services to their communities.

Our instrumentation hardware has a reputation for being the best in the business. Our software services provide an unrivalled level of insight. Combining our hardware and software services, our project delivery expertise delivers a unique end-to-end solution that is capable of changing the world.

References:

Anderson, Dan, K Brinson, J Brotzge, S Cooper, R Elliot, C A Fiebrich, D Grimsley, B G Illston, and G Wheeler. “Mesonet Essentials An Introduction to Mesonets, Their Value, and How They Work.” Mesonet Essentials: An introduction to mesonets, their value, and..., January 1, 2018. https://www.campbellsci.com/mesonets.

Baker, Dirk. “But It's a Dry Heat... like a Furnace.” Rugged Monitoring: Measurement and control instrumentation for any... Campbell Scientific, June 21, 2021. https://www.campbellsci.com/blog/death-valley-collaboration.

NWS Weather Prediction Center. “Death Valley CA Reached 130F Today...” Twitter. Twitter, July 10, 2021. https://twitter.com/NWSWPC/status/1413689613516894208.

Campbell Scientific. “Everest Project Measuring the Extremes of Mount Everest.” Everest Project: Measuring the extremes of Mount Everest. 2019. https://www.campbellsci.com/mount-everest.

Jarraud, M. “Guide to Meteorological Instruments and Methods of Observation.” https://public.wmo.int/en. World Meteorological Organization. Accessed July 12, 2021. https://www.weather.gov/media/epz/mesonet/CWOP-WMO8.pdf.

Tanner, Bertrand D. “Automated Weather Stations.” Remote Sensing Reviews 5, no. 1 (1990): 73–98.

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