Death Valley sets tentative world record for hottest month

In this April 11, 2010 file photo, tourists walk along a ridge at Death Valley National Park, Calif. Preliminary data show that Death Valley set the world record for hottest month in July, 2018. National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Lericos says the month’s average temperature at Furnace Creek in Death Valley was 108.1 degrees Fahrenheit (42.28 Celsius). That eclipses the previous record, set in Death Valley during July 2017 when the average was 107.4 degrees F (41.89 C). (AP Photo/Brian Melley, File)

In this Thursday, July 26, 2018 file photo, a couple poses at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center thermometer in Death Valley National Park, Calif. The thermometer is not official and often very inaccurate, but is a popular photo spot. Preliminary data show that Death Valley set the world record for hottest month in July. National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Lericos says the month’s average temperature at Furnace Creek in Death Valley was 108.1 degrees Fahrenheit (42.28 Celsius). That eclipses the previous record, set in Death Valley during July 2017 when the average was 107.4 degrees F (41.89 C). (Richard Brian/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP, File)