Death Valley Tops 120 Degrees Amid CA Heat Wave

DEATH VALLEY, CA — California residents felt the swelter of another heat wave as it entered the state on Friday. In Death Valley, one of the hottest places on the planet, temperatures topped 120 degrees on Friday, according to AccuWeather.

On Saturday, temperatures eclipsed 119 in the late afternoon amid an excessive heat warning that was set to remain in effect until 8 p.m.

Scorching temperatures were expected to persist through the end of the week. Death Valley was predicted to hit 125 degrees on Saturday, according to the National Park Service.

The record high in Death Valley is 134 degrees, a threshold crossed July 10, 1913.

Death Valley reaffirmed itself as the most blistering hot place on Earth on July 13 last year when the region saw the highest minimum temperature ever recorded in North America —107.7 degrees — on the same day it saw a near-record high of 128.6 degrees, weather officials confirmed.

Those two temperatures averaged an astonishing 118.1 degrees Sunday, the highest daily average temperature ever measured on the planet, The Washington Post reported. The world record was clocked at the Stovepipe Wells weather station in the northern reaches of Death Valley National Park, the newspaper reported.

Some 35 million people were under heat advisories from California to Texas over the weekend, CNN reported.

Paso Robles (106 degrees), Stockton (105 degrees) and Bishop (103 degrees) set record highs on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

Forecasters warned residents to be wary of overnight temperatures as well as daytime temperatures during heat waves.

"The overnight hours, when temperatures are expected to drop to the daily minimum, can become a secret danger to residents during a heat wave," AccuWeather Meteorologist Alyssa Smithmyer said. "When the air temperatures remain at elevated levels as people go to sleep, additional strain to the heart can occur as the body tries to regulate the internal temperature."

In the Southland, the heat wave continued Saturday, with temperatures topping 90 degrees in many parts of Los Angeles County and surpassing 100 in the Antelope Valley.

"High pressure will bring very warm and dry weather to interior areas, peaking today (Friday) and Saturday," according to the National Weather Service. "A few record high temperatures will be possible. Coastal areas will be much cooler with continued night through morning low clouds and fog. A cooling trend will start Sunday but another heat wave is expected by the middle of next week."

The highs were expected to fall a couple degrees Sunday and again Monday before warming up to potentially dangerous levels again Wednesday and Thursday.

"With a slight increase in onshore flow on Saturday expect a couple of degrees of cooling in the coastal and nearby valley areas with a repeat of overnight and early morning stratus south of Point Conception while interior areas warm a couple of degrees," the NWS said.

In Northern California, an excessive heat warning remained in effect for parts of Solano County as high temperatures are expected to persist well into Saturday evening, according to the National Weather Service.

The warning, which is set to expire at 11 p.m., also includes the western part of northern San Joaquin County, areas of the Sacramento-San Juaquin Delta and most of the Sacramento Valley.

Temperatures are expected to reach the high 90s in and around Fairfield today and are likely to top out at around 100 degrees further inland, according to the Weather Service.

While some cooling is expected Saturday, high heat risks are expected to continue throughout the day.

Residents are encouraged to drink plenty of fluids, limit outdoor activities to morning and evening hours and to check in on relatives and neighbors who may be vulnerable.

Sunday's temperatures are expected to drop below warning levels for most areas.

City News Service contributed to this report.