Meteorologist Equipped With GPS Tracker Set to Record Hottest Temperature on Earth
1 Jul 2013
Meteorologist, Kevin Martin, is a man on a mission. Armed with his trusted GPS tracker, he’s on a mission to find the hottest spot on the planet — and in the history of recording temperatures. We’re not talking trendy nighttime hot spot where all the Hollywood starlets hang out. We’re talking desert heat so hot you might want to think twice before stepping outside.
The hottest temperature previously recorded was 134 degrees Fahrenheit, recorded at Death Valley’s Furnace Creek on July 10, 1913.
Why use GPS tracking for weather?
Well, in addition to navigating through Death Valley National Park, the GPS unit allows website viewers to track his movements by following hisRealtime Tracker link. In addition to the GPS tracking device, Mr. Martin is bringing along a portable weather station and a video camera.
His findings, according to the July 1, 2013 post on his website,TheWeatherSpace.com indicate that the record was, indeed, broken at Badwater Basin where the temperature gauge topped out at a scorching 135.5 degrees.
Unfortunately, Mr. Martin believes that this record will go largely unnoticed because official NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) tracking sensors were located at Furnace Creek, an area in Death Valley where the high only reached 129 degrees.
Why such a marked difference between the two locations?
Furnace Creek and Badwater Basin have a different topographical makeup. The basin is in a location that is literally pummeled by the Santa Ana Winds (also referred to as the Devil Winds because they’re so hot). The downsloping winds coming over the mountain range simply heat up the area at the bottom creating a literal oven for the people brave enough to stand around and monitor the heat below.
Kevin Martin’s mission is literally two-fold however. Not only is he intent on recording the monumental breaking of the record, but he also wants to raise awareness that the NOAA is sometimes simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. There needs to be more monitoring done in order to adequately glean all the information Mother Nature has to teach us about record lows, snows, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, and even earth scorching temperatures above the 120 degree mark.
Anyone interested in following Kevin Martin’s progress as he searches for record heat can follow him on his Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/TheWeatherSpace or become a member of his mailing list for updates on his progress.
Let this man stand out in the heat and tell you all about the places you don’t want to add to your “must see” locations — at least not until the temperatures are more reasonable and balmy — somewhere in the under 100 degree range. Perhaps he can use his meteorological prowess to point out a few destinations you might be interested in to escape the oppressive heat holding SoCal hostage these days in the meantime.
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