Death Valley is the lowest spot in North America
The valley is a long, narrow basin 282 feet (86 m) below sea level
It is home to more than 1,000 kinds of plants
Some plants residing on the valley floor have roots that go down 10 times the height of a person
Death Valley is home to 51 species of native mammals, 307 species of birds, 36 species of reptiles, 3 species of amphibians, and 5 species and 1 subspecies of native fishes.
Yearly precipitation consistently averaged about 1.6 inches of rain for the first 65 years of record keeping.
The last 30 years has seen an increase, averaging 2.5 inches of rain a year. The 95-year average is now just under two inches a year.
There have been some years of no recorded rainfall at all.
The highest mountain in Death Valley National Park is 11,049 foot Telescope Peak. The vertical drop from the peak to the Badwater Basin is twice the depth of Grand Canyon.
134° F is the hottest recorded temperature (July 10, 1913)
The greatest number of consecutive days with a maximum temperature of 100° F or above was 154 days in the summer of 2001.
The summer of 1996 had 40 days over 120° F, and 105 days over 110° F.
The summer of 1917 had 43 consecutive days with a high temperature of 120° F or above.
The highest ground temperature recorded was 201° F at Furnace Creek on July 15, 1972. The maximum air temperature for that day was 128° F.
Ground temperature on the valley floor is about 40% higher than the surrounding air temperature.
Higher elevations are cooler than the low valley. Temperatures drop 3° to 5° F with every thousand vertical feet.
Data: National Park Service
