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Will Death Valley Top 130 Degrees? Here's Where To Watch

If you're in the red or orange zones, try to stay cool.
National Weather Service
If you're in the red or orange zones, try to stay cool.

We can't do anything about the oppressive heat wave that's cooking states across the nation's Southwest.

We can, though, wish everyone the best and point to the always-important tips and guidance for how to stay safe when temperatures soar well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Those include:

-- Stay inside if you have air conditioning. Go to a library, store or cooling center if you don't.

-- Stay hydrated and avoid alcohol and caffeinated drinks.

-- Slow down. This isn't a time to be outside exercising.

And we can also point you to sites that are tracking the news from Death Valley, Calif., where it's possible that some time this weekend the all-time record high of 134 degrees will be threatened:

-- There's this National Weather Service page that's being updated with readings. As of 5:10 a.m. local time Saturday (8:10 a.m. ET), the temperature was 98 degrees.

-- And The Atlantic Wire has created a little graphic that it's updating with the same information.

That 134-degree reading --the highest "reliably recorded air temperature on Earth" — was registered on July 10, 1913.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.