Death Valley Records Hottest Temperature On Earth Again

DEATH VALLEY, CA — Death Valley reaffirmed itself as the most blistering hot place on Earth this weekend. 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.

Sunday's high marked the third day in a row that temperatures reached or exceeded 128 degrees — a tie for second-highest temperatures recorded over three days in 2015. In 1913, similar high temperatures were felt for six consecutive days.

On Friday, the area saw temps reach 130 degrees, close to the hottest measured temperature on Earth ever and the hottest since July 1913, when Furnace Creek desert hit 134 degrees. Death Valley also recorded 130 degrees last August.

Nearby Las Vegas on Saturday also tied its all-time record high of 117 degrees Saturday, the weather service said.

Palm Springs in Southern California hit a record high temperature of 120 degrees Saturday. It was the fourth time temperatures have reached 120 degrees there so far this year, the Desert Sun reported.

On Monday, Furnace Creek in Death Valley hit a high of 124 degrees, according to the weather service. An excessive heat warning was in effect in the area until 8 p.m. Tuesday.

The scorching heat wave broke temperature records all over the Golden State over the weekend and prompted California's energy regulators to issue multiple Flex Alerts, a call on residents to voluntarily conserve power.

And on the heels of the weekend swelter, more triple-digit weather was forecast to bake the Western U.S. through the week, the weather service said.

Temperatures were forecast to let up slowly throughout the week, and monsoonal weather was predicted to increase across parts of the Golden State's deserts.

"As the major heat wave wanes, monsoon storms will increase across parts of southeast Nevada, northwest Arizona and far eastern San Bernardino County tonight and again Tuesday night," weather service officials in Las Vegas said Monday.

The unprecedented heat also pitted firefighters against exploding wildfires in Northern California and southern Oregon. The fires, along with staggering temperatures, strained California's power grid and threatened transmission lines used to power the state.

Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an emergency proclamation Friday suspending rules to allow for more power capacity, and the state's independent system operator requested emergency assistance from other states. On Saturday, Newsom issued another proclamation allowing the emergency use of auxiliary ship engines to relieve pressure on the electric grid.

On Monday, state regulators again urged residents to conserve energy from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. to avoid rolling blackouts.

"Conservation is key to reducing stress on the grid during these peak hours," California's independent system operator said in a statement.

READ MORE: CA Flex Alert: Extreme Temps Mean Another Day Of Power Saving