DEATH VALLEY, Calif. – Sunday marks the 111th anniversary of the only time measurable snow fell in the hottest place in the world.
Official records note 0.5 inches of frozen precipitation fell on Death Valley in the deserts of California on Jan. 29, 1922. The records go back to 1911.
The National Weather Service said there have been half a dozen times since 1922 that snow has been observed in the park, but all accumulations have never reached above a trace. The last event reported by observation sites was January 5, 1974.
Observations of snow are taken as part of collecting routine weather observations at Death Valley, the NWS said. The total amount of snow that has fallen is reported once a day at the time of observation by the observer on duty.
This observation time is the same as when temperature, liquid precipitation and evaporation readings are taken. The NWS said snow amounts listed for each day represent the observation day ending when the observation was taken.
CHILLING IRONY: HOW WORLD HEAT CHAMP DEATH VALLEY OWES NAME, IN PART, TO A SNOWSTORM
Did you know a snowstorm in the Death Valley area in the 1800s is how it received its morbid name? It did, and you can learn more about the incredible tale of survival that gave the city its morbid moniker by clicking here.
It’s a stark contrast to the same place that holds the World Record for hottest temperature recorded on Earth at 134 degrees set in July 1913.
There’s still some controversy over the accuracy of the record. However, there have been multiple reliable readings of 129 and 130 degrees in the years’ since.
So let’s agree, it’s a hot place.