June 29, 2013 - DEATH Valley

[SPUCK]

Originally Posted by blueboy56

A serious question (for a change): Is there a physical limit as to how hot it can get on Earth's surface? Is there something that prevents the temperature from going above the high 120's?

Yes. But it's hard to put a finger on exactly what that would be. Once the air gets so hot in one little area that air becomes lighter than the surrounding air. Hence it will rise. Cooler surrounding air is going to come in to replace that air. So that limits the maximum.

Furnace Creek is kinda special. The actual super hot spot there is associated with the local terrain. There is an area that is, I don't know, 40 acres? That the natural soil is damn near black. Like a Costco parking lot from hell. The central spot there gets super heated due to the dark ground. Then because the area is so large 1) there isn't much differential so not a lot of air density difference between the hot stuff and the neighboring hot stuff. Not much air rises. Then 2) what does rise is replaced by super heated neighboring air from the identical acre next door. if you see what I mean.

Look at Google maps and you'll see what I mean. Look at the satellite view of course. You'll also see the airport and hotel Degrees mentioned - where his brother is probably laying on the asphalt sizzling like bacon.

[Degrees]

My brother is probably just trying to find a way to keep the bottoms of his sneakers from melting.

[CaliforniaMama]

Originally Posted by SPUCK

Once the air gets so hot in one little area that air becomes lighter than the surrounding air. Hence it will rise. Cooler surrounding air is going to come in to replace that air. So that limits the maximum.

Furnace Creek is kinda special. The actual super hot spot there is associated with the local terrain. <snip> Then because the area is so large 1) there isn't much differential so not a lot of air density difference between the hot stuff and the neighboring hot stuff. Not much air rises. Then 2) what does rise is replaced by super heated neighboring air from the identical acre next door. if you see what I mean.

One summer I was helping out at an orphanage in Baja California (Mexico) that was actually a quasi-ranch. The girls learned how to cook and sew and the boys learned how to take care of livestock.

It was in the middle of nowhere and all you could see for miles around was slightly rolling hills of brown earth.

It was so hot and had that furnace feel. No a/c or any way to get relief from the heat. The thermometer went up to 130 degrees and it was red all the way up, so no telling how hot it really was.

I was suffering from heat exhaustion without knowing it and all I did was lay in our one bed trailer (silver bullet kind for the three of us) with a cold wash cloth on my head and I know the trailer was even hotter than it was outside. No one even realized I was sick.

Sometimes I have to shake my head with wonder at how I have survived so far. Sheer dumb luck!

Unlike all the chickens that huddled together to protect themselves from the heat. They didn't last too long.