Mercury, Nevada facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mercury
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Village
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Photo courtesy of the National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office
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 Mercury
Location in Nevada
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| Country | United States |
| State | Nevada |
| County | Nye |
| Founded | 1950 |
| Named for | Mercury |
| Elevation | 3,789 ft (1,155 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP codes |
89023
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| GNIS feature ID | 845560 |
Mercury is a special kind of village in Nye County, Nevada, USA. It is called a closed village because the public cannot visit it. Mercury is about 65 miles (105 km) (105 km) northwest of Las Vegas.
This village is located inside the Nevada National Security Site. It was built by the Atomic Energy Commission to provide homes and services for people working at the test site. The site was used for testing nuclear weapons. Today, the United States Department of Energy manages Mercury. The village was named after mercury mines that were active in the area many years ago. The exact number of people living there now is not known.
Contents
Climate and Weather in Mercury
Mercury has a cold desert climate. This means it is very dry and can have big temperature changes. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Mercury was 114 °F (46 °C) (46 °C) on July 11, 2021. The coldest temperature was 6 °F (−14 °C) (-14 °C) on December 22, 1990.
| Climate data for Mercury, Nevada (Desert Rock Airport), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1978–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 77 (25) |
83 (28) |
87 (31) |
96 (36) |
106 (41) |
113 (45) |
114 (46) |
112 (44) |
110 (43) |
100 (38) |
85 (29) |
74 (23) |
114 (46) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 68.0 (20.0) |
71.5 (21.9) |
80.0 (26.7) |
88.7 (31.5) |
96.9 (36.1) |
105.3 (40.7) |
108.9 (42.7) |
106.1 (41.2) |
100.8 (38.2) |
90.7 (32.6) |
77.8 (25.4) |
67.3 (19.6) |
109.8 (43.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 56.6 (13.7) |
59.9 (15.5) |
67.4 (19.7) |
74.2 (23.4) |
83.8 (28.8) |
94.7 (34.8) |
100.7 (38.2) |
98.8 (37.1) |
91.1 (32.8) |
78.1 (25.6) |
64.6 (18.1) |
55.0 (12.8) |
77.1 (25.0) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 45.0 (7.2) |
47.9 (8.8) |
54.1 (12.3) |
60.3 (15.7) |
69.5 (20.8) |
79.6 (26.4) |
86.0 (30.0) |
84.3 (29.1) |
76.3 (24.6) |
64.0 (17.8) |
51.6 (10.9) |
43.6 (6.4) |
63.5 (17.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 33.4 (0.8) |
35.8 (2.1) |
40.9 (4.9) |
46.5 (8.1) |
55.2 (12.9) |
64.4 (18.0) |
71.3 (21.8) |
69.7 (20.9) |
61.5 (16.4) |
49.9 (9.9) |
38.5 (3.6) |
32.2 (0.1) |
49.9 (10.0) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 23.0 (−5.0) |
26.0 (−3.3) |
30.0 (−1.1) |
35.1 (1.7) |
42.7 (5.9) |
52.3 (11.3) |
62.4 (16.9) |
60.1 (15.6) |
50.6 (10.3) |
38.4 (3.6) |
26.8 (−2.9) |
22.3 (−5.4) |
20.0 (−6.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 13 (−11) |
11 (−12) |
23 (−5) |
23 (−5) |
33 (1) |
40 (4) |
51 (11) |
52 (11) |
39 (4) |
28 (−2) |
19 (−7) |
6 (−14) |
6 (−14) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.68 (17) |
0.94 (24) |
0.58 (15) |
0.36 (9.1) |
0.18 (4.6) |
0.12 (3.0) |
0.32 (8.1) |
0.39 (9.9) |
0.38 (9.7) |
0.37 (9.4) |
0.27 (6.9) |
0.63 (16) |
5.22 (132.7) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.3 (0.76) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.2 (0.51) |
1.0 (2.5) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 4.2 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 2.6 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 3.2 | 30.8 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.3 |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service | |||||||||||||
History of Mercury Village
Early Days and Growth
The village of Mercury began in 1950. It was first called Base Camp Mercury. It was a military-style camp built to support the people working at the Nevada Test Site.
As more nuclear tests were planned, more people were needed. So, starting in 1951, a big construction project began. They built proper homes, offices, and service buildings. These new buildings made the camp look more like a regular civilian village.
In the mid-1950s, the camp got a full post office. At that time, Base Camp Mercury was officially renamed Mercury, Nevada.
Scientific Research and Expansion
In 1957, the US Navy used Mercury as a base. They launched nine special rockets from there. These rockets measured nuclear radiation and other information in the atmosphere. The Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory did its first test flight in 1956. This test rocket carried 13.6 kilograms (30 lb) (30 pounds) of equipment up to an altitude of 40 kilometres (25 mi) (25 miles).
In the early 1960s, the number of people living in Mercury grew to over 10,000. More buildings were added to make the village more permanent. A school was built, along with many fun places. These included a movie theater, a bowling alley, a swimming pool, and a hobby center.
The village also had a health clinic, a library, and places to stay like the Atomic Motel. There was a chapel for different religions, a gas station, and a bus station. In 1962, the Desert Rock Airport was built. This was for President John F. Kennedy's visit on December 8.
Changes After Nuclear Testing
The village of Mercury was busy until 1992. That year, most nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site stopped. This happened because the United States agreed to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. Even though the U.S. has not officially approved the treaty, it stopped most tests.
After 1992, the population of Mercury quickly became much smaller. Many buildings were left empty. A small group of scientists and military staff still work in Mercury. They do limited testing and research. Most of the fun places have closed down. The village is now much quieter than it used to be. However, there are still places to eat, a bar, and a gym. The current population changes, but the last count was about 500 people.
See also
In Spanish: Mercury (Nevada) para niños
