Rookie tourists
2024-07-08 07:18:59 UTC
A motorcyclist died of suspected heat exposure and another was
hospitalized for severe heat illness Saturday amid record temperatures at
Death Valley National Park in California, park officials said.
The motorcyclist who died was not identified or described by age or
gender, and the condition for the patient who was hospitalized was
unavailable.
The Inyo County Coroner Office did not immediately respond to a request
for information.
Four others in the same group of riders were treated at the scene for
"heat stress," National Park Service Ranger Nichole L. Andler said by
email Sunday.
The park service said in a statement Sunday that the six were riding near
Badwater Basin, an area of salt flats in the park that includes the lowest
point in North America.
The area is south of the Furnace Creek Visitor's Center, where the
National Weather Service recorded a high temperature of 128 degrees late
Saturday afternoon, a reading 1 degree a
Science was not working in the riders' favor, the park service indicated.
The temperatures were well above the 99-degree line, over which ambient
air provides little cooling to humans, it said.
Motorcyclists often wear thick, heavy protective gear, making cooling even
more difficult. And helicopters serving as air ambulances that can more
quickly traverse the Mojave Desert's expanse are often grounded when
liftoff becomes difficult in warmer air, which spreads molecules that
favor wider wings or blades and herculean thrust.
High heat like this can pose real threats to your health, park
Superintendent Mike Reynolds said in Sunday's statement. While this is a
very exciting time to experience potential world record setting
temperatures in Death Valley, we encourage visitors to choose their
activities carefully."
The park, under an "extreme summer heat" alert, advises visitors to avoid
hiking after 10 a.m. and to be prepared for life-threatening heat by being
vigilant about clothing, shade and water intake. The park service also
warns that cellphone reception is often nonexistent in Death Valley.
The National Weather Service had forecast record heat for Death Valley,
nearly through midweek, as it roasts under a high pressure dome that's
heating up much of the West.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/motorcyclist-dies-suspected-heat-
exposure-death-valley-rcna160636
hospitalized for severe heat illness Saturday amid record temperatures at
Death Valley National Park in California, park officials said.
The motorcyclist who died was not identified or described by age or
gender, and the condition for the patient who was hospitalized was
unavailable.
The Inyo County Coroner Office did not immediately respond to a request
for information.
Four others in the same group of riders were treated at the scene for
"heat stress," National Park Service Ranger Nichole L. Andler said by
email Sunday.
The park service said in a statement Sunday that the six were riding near
Badwater Basin, an area of salt flats in the park that includes the lowest
point in North America.
The area is south of the Furnace Creek Visitor's Center, where the
National Weather Service recorded a high temperature of 128 degrees late
Saturday afternoon, a reading 1 degree a
Science was not working in the riders' favor, the park service indicated.
The temperatures were well above the 99-degree line, over which ambient
air provides little cooling to humans, it said.
Motorcyclists often wear thick, heavy protective gear, making cooling even
more difficult. And helicopters serving as air ambulances that can more
quickly traverse the Mojave Desert's expanse are often grounded when
liftoff becomes difficult in warmer air, which spreads molecules that
favor wider wings or blades and herculean thrust.
High heat like this can pose real threats to your health, park
Superintendent Mike Reynolds said in Sunday's statement. While this is a
very exciting time to experience potential world record setting
temperatures in Death Valley, we encourage visitors to choose their
activities carefully."
The park, under an "extreme summer heat" alert, advises visitors to avoid
hiking after 10 a.m. and to be prepared for life-threatening heat by being
vigilant about clothing, shade and water intake. The park service also
warns that cellphone reception is often nonexistent in Death Valley.
The National Weather Service had forecast record heat for Death Valley,
nearly through midweek, as it roasts under a high pressure dome that's
heating up much of the West.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/motorcyclist-dies-suspected-heat-
exposure-death-valley-rcna160636