California’s Furnace Creek expected to hit 47C as more than 60 million people under US heatwave

Furnace Creek, also called ‘death valley’, is generally regarded as the hottest place on earth

Calfornia’s Furnace Creek is set to hit record temperatures this year at 118F or 47C as large parts of southwestern America suffer through sweltering heat, affecting over 60 million people.

Temperatures in several areas in Texas, California and Nevada, including Pheonix and Las Vegas, are touching triple digits on the Fahrenheit scale, according to warnings issued by the country’s weather department.

Excessive heat warnings and advisories currently cover “an expansive area” of the US, and “critical fire weather conditions is expected across the southwest into the southern and central rockies and high plains”, the National Weather Service said.

Dangerous heat is expected to extend from the Midwest to the Southeast through midweek, it said.

“Another night of record-setting heat is expected across those areas, with nighttime temperatures forecast to bottom out in the upper 70s and 80s in many locations,” it further added.

The heat will continue to shift farther northeast into the upper Mississippi Valley, western Great Lakes, and Ohio Valley, while continuing to build over the southern Mid Atlantic and Southeast on Tuesday, it further warned.

The advisory said red flag warnings have been raised on Monday for large portions of southeastern Utah, southwestern Colorado, northern and central Arizona and New Mexico.

Record-breaking temperatures will be seen in Texas, with areas like Amarillo, Abilene and Dallas touching 105 degrees, ABC News reported.

A National Weather Service map showing the spread of a heatwave beginning in Texas and moving through the central US throughout the week of 9 May (National Weather Service)

The Furnace Creek area of California, also called the “death valley”, is generally regarded as the hottest place on earth. It saw a record temperature of 132F or 54C in August 2020.

The town has a population of just 136 people, according to the 2020 census. Most of those living in the area are those who work at the Death Valley national park.

The vast, desert area is filled with canyons and sand dunes and is located close to the border with neighbouring Nevada.