Motorcycle ride through Death Valley turns fatal when thermometer hits 128 degrees

As the temperature rose Saturday to a record 128 degrees Fahrenheit in Death Valley National Park, a group of motorcyclists became distressed in the extreme heat and one of them died, a ranger said.

The motorcyclists were riding through the park near Badwater Basin, a stretch of salt flats that is also the lowest point in North America, when — mid to late afternoon — they reported being affected by the extreme heat, according to park ranger Nichole Andler. .

One of the pilots was pronounced dead at the scene and another person with severe heat illness was flown to Las Vegas, Andler said. Four other people in the group were treated and released.

The deceased motorcyclist’s name, or other identifying information, has not been released, and the specific cause of death will be determined by the coroner, Andler said.

“Yesterday it was 128 degrees, a record for that day in Death Valley,” the ranger noted, “and these people were traveling on motorcycles and probably didn’t have adequate refrigeration.”

The heat also hampered the rescue effort. When temperatures exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit, a medical helicopter cannot access the park. Air expands when it is heated, getting thinner than cold air. Therefore, helicopters cannot achieve the lift necessary to fly.

But Andler said that in addition to park rangers, first responders from Inyo County and neighboring Pahrump, Nevada, helped the motorcyclists.

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Saturday’s temperature was just below the all-time heat record in Death Valley – 134 degrees, set on July 10, 1913. Since record keeping began in 1911, temperatures have only reached or exceeded 130 degrees three times – with two of those times since 2020: August 16, 2020 and again on July 9, 2021.

Every year, at least one to three people die from heat-related illnesses while visiting the park, and every week, there are one to three calls for medical assistance due to heat-related stress.

“People get excited about experiencing the hottest temperatures they’ve ever experienced before, and sometimes they forget that if they were hot an hour ago and started to feel nauseous, then they need to spend the rest of the day in the air conditioning – because that could be the first sign of heat illness,” said Andler. “If you heat up and never cool down properly, your body won’t have a chance to reset.”

Elsewhere in Southern California, the heat broke records and destroyed communities.

On Sunday, Palmdale and Lancaster set record highs for that date – with Palmdale seeing a high of 114 degrees, surpassing the record of 110 set in 1989. In Lancaster, the 115 degrees recorded on Sunday surpassed the record of 110 reported in 1989 and 2017. .

The National Weather Service said extreme heat would continue this week in the Southland, with highs of 105 to 115 in the interior valleys, mountains and deserts.

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The excessive heat warning has been extended until 9 p.m. Thursday for the western San Gabriel Mountains, Antelope Valley, Angeles Crest Highway and the Highways 5 and 14 corridors.

Another excessive heat warning was in effect through Wednesday for the Santa Clarita Valley, Santa Monica Mountains, Calabasas, the San Fernando Valley and the eastern San Gabriel Mountains — regions where temperatures were forecast to exceed 100 degrees , according to the weather service.

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This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.