Tourists flock to Death Valley to experience near-record heatwave

One of hottest places on Earth is drawing more visitors this week, not in spite of near-record high temperatures but because of them.

Tourists are flocking to Death Valley National Park — a narrow, 282-foot basin on the California-Nevada border — to experience how the triple-digit temperatures feel against their skin. 

Death Valley is home to Furnace Creek, an unincorporated community that includes a visitors center and an outdoor digital thermometer. Dozens of people have gathered at the temperature reading in recent days, some wearing fur coats as an ironic joke, to experience the heat and snap a picture to impress family and friends on social media.