Shock as tourist hotspot's runway heats up to 163F during record heatwave
ABC reporter Trevor Ault captured the staggering reading on the asphalt at Palm Springs International Airport on Thursday, the same day the city set a daily heat record.
The mercury climbed to a staggering 118 degrees in the popular vacation destination, beating the city's August 7 record of 116 degrees recorded in 1980, The Desert Sun reported.
That is just below the all-time high of 124 degrees recorded on July 5, 2024.
National Weather Service meteorologist Adam Roser explained that the cause of the extreme heat was high pressure that settled over the southwest over the past week.
He noted that sweltering temperatures are expected to peak in Southern California next week before gradually dropping.
The temperature is expected to return to its seasonal average by next Thursday.
Planes struggle in warm weather because hot air is less dense, reducing lift and engine performance. This makes it harder for planes to take off and climb.
In hot conditions, aircrafts need longer runways to get the necessary takeoff speed because of the reduced lift.
Airlines are often forced to compensate for the obstacles posed by extreme weather by reducing passenger and cargo load or delaying flights.
'The hotter it is, the more airplane performance is degraded,' John Cox, a former pilot and chief executive of Safety Operating Systems, told the New York Times.
Palm Springs International Airport sees roughly 8,870 visitors each day and 3.2 million in a year, according to data from 2023.
As of 2022, an average of 44 flights departed from the airport each day, with 16,254 leaving that year.
It's unclear whether any flights were delayed or affected on Thursday due to the extreme weather conditions.
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