How Hot Are Arizona National Parks? Here’s What You Can Bake on Your Dashboard

However hot it is right now where you live, just imagine what it’s like in Arizona. (Spoken lovingly from a person who grew up there.) Saguaro National Park took to Instagram to demonstrate just how hot it is there by attempting to bake banana bread on the dashboard of a vehicle as it sat in the sun. Do you think it worked?

“It’s that time of year again!” Saguaro National Park wrote in a recent post. “Cooking in the car, cue theme music! *infernal screaming*”

When outside temperatures reach 100°F, Saguaro says the dashboard of your car can heat up to 200°F in just an hour. Speaking from decades of experience, it’s horrible to get into your oven—I mean, car—when it’s over 200°F inside. But instead of wallowing in self-pity, Saguaro rangers decided to see what they could bake in a car/oven instead.

“In the past we’ve taken this opportunity to bake cookies, bell peppers, and now banana bread, at work dude,” park officials wrote. “We finally took it out around 3pm; admittedly, it was still a bit squishy on the inside. So far, we think cookies make for the most ideal option for cooking in the car.”

Check out Saguaro National Park’s sun-baked banana bread here:

Don’t Leave Children or Pets in Your Car When It’s Hot

The national park also took the opportunity to warn people that no one should be leaving children or pets in their vehicles when it’s that hot outside.

“Based on the previous 27 years of data from the National Safety Council, an average of 37 children die each year from heat due to being left in a vehicle. And hundreds of pets due to the same thing according to the American Veterinary Medical Association,” Saguaro said. “If you hear a cry, bark, or similar from a parked car, take action right away. It only takes 10-20 minutes inside a hot car to become life threatening.”

If you ever suspect there’s a child or pet stuck inside a car when it’s hot outside, call authorities immediately and follow their instructions.

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