NOAA: Temps Varied 100+ Degrees This Week

The National Weather Service (NWS), a division of The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), documented an exciting weather phenomenon that occurred on Thursday, August 29, 2024.

The National high temperature clocked in at 114 degrees Fahrenheit in Death Valley, CA, while the National low temperature sunk to a bone-chilling 13 degrees Fahrenheit in Peter Sinks, Utah.

As seen in the map above, Death Valley and Peter Sinks are relatively close (roughly 500 miles as the crow flies) and yet the difference in temperatures was an astounding 101 degree Fahrenheit.

For the weather geeks at home, this shouldn't come as much of a surprise as Death Valley and Peter Sinks are known for notching polar opposites when it comes to temperatures. In fact, both locations claim national records.

Death Valley is widely considered to be one of the hottest and driest places on Earth, with an all-time record high of 134 degrees Fahrenheit on July 10, 1913. At an elevation of 282 ft below sea level, the valley is aptly named.

Peter Sinks, UT, on the other hand, is known as one of the coldest places in the country. In fact, the location notched the second coldest temperature ever recorded in the continental United States on February 1, 1985, at minus 69.3 degrees Fahrenheit. It's been a while since the near record-setting temperature, but Peter Sinks experienced similarly cold weather in 2023. Self proclaimed 'cold-chasers' logged temperatures in the minus 62 degrees Fahrenheit range on January 31st.

The Utah Climate Center explains why Peter Sinks experiences colder temperatures at 8,164 feet than many of Utah's peaks that stretch higher than 10,000 feet:

"So why is this montane site, located 20 miles northeast of Logan, so cold? The low temperatures are due to a combination of the area’s unique basin topography, high elevation, and dry climate. Peter Sinks, at an elevation of 8,164 feet, is a natural limestone sinkhole approximately one-half mile in diameter; one can liken it to a large bowl, which has no valley outlet to drain water or air. On calm cloudless nights this high basin loses accumulated daytime heat to the atmosphere. In addition, cool dense air slides down-slope into the basin floor in a process known as cold air pooling. Extremely low temperatures can occur, especially in the wake of wintertime arctic fronts."

Temperatures plunged at Peter Sinks as a cold front moved through the region bringing first snowfalls for ski areas such as Jackson Hole, WY ; Palisades Tahoe, CA ; and Whitefish, MT . The weather has returned to more seasonable temperatures across the American Intermountain West, but the first blast of winter was exciting for skiers from coast to coast.

Keep it here at POWDER as we continue to cover first snowfalls, long-range Winter '24/'25 forecasts, ski resorts news, and more. Winter is coming, are you ready?

Related: The Old Farmer's Almanac Reveals Complete Winter 2024-2025 Forecast

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