- Title: Scorching temperatures bake California's Joshua Tree as heatwave grips West
- Date: 11th July 2021
- Summary: JOSHUA TREE, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JULY 10, 2021) (REUTERS) TIME-LAPSE OF TWO ICE BLOCKS MELTING UNDER THE SUN IN JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK VARIOUS OF ICE BLOCKS MELTING IN SUN SUN SHINING IN SKY ABOVE A JOSHUA TREE VARIOUS OF JOSHUA TREES SEEN THROUGH HOT AIR WAVES SIGN FOR JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK AT PARK ENTRANCE WOMAN IN CAR BUYING TICKET TO ENTER JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK CARS IN QUEUE WAITING TO ENTER JOSHUA TREE SIGN READING: "EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING" (SOUNDBITE) (English) HANNAH SCHWALBE, JOSHUA TREE PARK RANGER, SAYING: "People are still coming out to the park, even in a heat wave, so we see people coming through the entrance station right now. It's about midday and it's going to be about one hundred and ten degrees here where we are today. And I think they're still coming because it's beautiful and hopefully they're bringing plenty of water and they're telling someone when they're going to leave the park so they have a safety body ready to go." MOVING VIEW FROM VEHICLE OF JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK VIEW OF CAR DRIVING THROUGH NATIONAL PARK LARGE GROUP OF FRIENDS TAKING SELFIE NEAR PARK SIGN (SOUNDBITE) (English) NISHAD FRANCIS, 19-YEAR-OLD RESIDENT OF IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, SAYING: "We definitely took the time to take extra precautions, we brought like a cooler full of water and we're making sure everyone stays hydrated. We spent like an hour or two just talking about making sure we're safe out here, following each other out here. So I think we were definitely concerned but above all else, we just we came out here to have a good time and we knew we were prepped so we just came out here to have fun." CARS DRIVING THROUGH JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK MOVING VIEW FROM CAR OF JOSHUA TREE VARIOUS OF NEWLY MARRIED COUPLE KISSING FOR CAMERA AS THEY TAKE SELFIES IN JOSHUA TREE (SOUNDBITE) (English) MICHAEL NEILSON, 33-YEAR-OLD NEW JERSEY RESIDENT WHO WAS VISITING JOSHUA TREE ON HIS HONEYMOON, SAYING: "It's the hottest place on Earth, like this is hot, it's never been hotter. It feels like we're in an oven. Yeah, actually the air feels hot. It's so hot." COUPLE TREKKING IN JOSHUA TREE (SOUNDBITE) (English) JORDAN NEILSON, 29-YEAR-OLD NEW JERSEY RESIDENT WHO WAS VISITING JOSHUA TREE ON HER HONEYMOON, SAYING: "We sunscreened and we've been drinking plenty of water. We also had some fruit juice and we're staying in the air conditioning whenever we can." VIEW OF THE NEILSONS TREKKING VIEW OF CARS PARKED IN LOT AT JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK WOMAN APPLYING SUNSCREEN (SOUNDBITE) (English) SHAWNA ROLAND, 53-YEAR-OLD PALM DESERT RESIDENT, SAYING: "I drink water, make sure I go pee like three times a day and that's about it. Just stay hydrated, don't get too far from your car because people do get lost around here." VARIOUS OF JOSHUA TREES JOSHUA TREE PARK RANGER WALKING PAST CAMERA CLOSE-UP OF "NATIONAL PARK SERVICE" INSIGNIA ON SHIRT (SOUNDBITE) (English) HANNAH SCHWALBE, JOSHUA TREE PARK RANGER, SAYING: "We're expecting it to be anywhere from about one hundred and ten to one hundred and twenty, depending on the part of the park you're in, because of the elevation varies. And honestly, you can feel even hotter because there's no shade and that sun is just beating down on visitors. So do come either very early for a sunrise hike or stay late and stargaze and be out here when there's no sun." JOSHUA TREES WITH VISITOR INFORMATION SIGN FIRE DANGER WARNING SIGN (SOUNDBITE) (English) HANNAH SCHWALBE, JOSHUA TREE PARK RANGER, SAYING: "For visitors who are coming in, there are no water stations in the park, so you need to bring all of your own water and bring plenty of it, way more than you think you need. Honestly, bring gallons just in case something happens and you kind of get stranded, like your car breaks down, have extra water in the car." VARIOUS OF JOSHUA TREES COUPLE WALKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) MAX PARKER, 22-YEAR-OLD FROM NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, SAYING: "Drinking a lot of water and sunscreen, definitely. And that's about it, but then trying to find a safe, but there ain't much so." VISITORS HIKING IN JOSHUA TREE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARISMENDE HERNANDEZ, 32-YEAR-OLD TOURIST FROM DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, SAYING: "Well, I came from the Caribbean and came from Dominican Republic, from a really hot country, and it's still hot for me, so I'm trying my best." WOMAN POSING FOR PHOTO WHILE SEATED ON BOULDER (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) LAURA SOLER, A 30-YEAR-OLD TOURIST FROM SPAIN, SAYING: "You can really feel the heat, it's very strong and as a precaution I'm using sunscreen and drinking lots of water. We also have some food and fruit with us in case we need it." VISITORS CLIMBING ROCKS IN JOSHUA TREE VARIOUS OF JOSHUA TREES
- Embargoed: 25th July 2021 06:26
- Keywords: California Heatwave Joshua Tree National Park United States
- Location: JOSHUA TREE, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
- City: JOSHUA TREE, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Environment,Temperature,United States,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA001ELEBEIV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Western states are bracing for more scorching weather this weekend after the hottest month of June on record in the United States killed scores of people, strained electric grids and depleted reservoirs.
The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning for much of the West through Monday (July 12) evening, predicting "dangerously hot conditions."
In California's Joshua Tree National Park, scorching temperatures of 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius) failed to keep visitor away in spite of excessive heat warnings.
"People are still coming out to the park, even in a heatwave," said Hannah Schwalbe, a Joshua Tree Park Ranger.
"We're expecting it to be anywhere from about one hundred and ten to one hundred and twenty, depending on the part of the park you're in, because of the elevation varies. And honestly, you can feel even hotter because there's no shade and that sun is just beating down on visitors. So do come either very early for a sunrise hike or stay late and stargaze and be out here when there's no sun," added Schwalbe.
The extended heatwave, which coincides with a record-setting drought, is expected to bring temperatures soaring above 100 degrees F (40 degrees C) in multiple states.
"It's the hottest place on Earth, like this is hot, it's never been hotter. It feels like we're in an oven. Yeah, actually the air feels hot. It's so hot," said Michael Neilson, a 33-year-old who was visiting Joshua Tree with his wife, Jordan, on their honeymoon.
"We sunscreened and we've been drinking plenty of water. We also had some fruit juice and we're staying in the air conditioning whenever we can," added Jordan Neilson, Michael's wife.
The extreme weather conditions in the West saw California's Death Valley reach temperatures up to 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54 degrees Celsius) on Saturday (July 10).
The National Weather Service's color-coded map shows most of California and large swathes of Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah and Arizona shaded pink for an excessive heat warning, meaning temperatures are expected to reach or exceed 105 degrees.
Further patches of those same states plus Washington, New Mexico and Colorado are colored in orange for a heat advisory, when temperatures are expected between 100 and 104 degrees.
This comes after the hottest June in 127 years of record-keeping, according to the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration.
The average June temperature in the contiguous United States was 72.6, or 4.2 degrees above average, surpassing the record set in June 2016 by 0.9 of a degree, the NOAA said.
Eight states recorded their hottest June on record and another six states logged their second hottest June, the NOAA said.
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