States in the southwestern USA, such as Arizona, California, and Nevada are having one of their hottest summers on record. "Our smaller regional operations - those that use our CRJ aircraft types - will be most affected by the heat", the airline's communication specialist Kent Powell told CNN.
In the wake of a record 122 degree high in the Valley 27 years ago, on June 26, 1990, flights were grounded because of the heat.
As with any heat wave, officials caution that body temperatures can rise quickly and lead to sickness or death.
The weather comes as new research found that almost one in three people now experience 20 days a year when the heat reaches deadly levels. As the Arizona Republic explained, the hotter it is, the more speed a plane needs to lift off. Planes may not be able to go fast enough on take off in limited runway space.
The extreme heat, brought on by a high-pressure system parked over the Four Corners region where Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona meet, has boosted temperatures well above normal across much of the Southwest. Some cities, like Phoenix, broke their high temperature records two days in a row. Las Vegas reached its peak of 117 Fahrenheit degrees (about 47 Celsius degrees) in 2013.
At Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, American Airlines canceled 43 inbound and outbound flights during the peak-heat hours of 3 p.m. through 6 p.m. local time, after cancelling seven on Monday. American Airlines said large jets withstand temperatures can withstand temperatures up to 126 or 127 degrees.
According to an American Airlines statement, the maximum operating temperature for certain smaller, regional aircraft was expected to be reached during the day, leading to the cancellations.
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The extreme heat forecast for Phoenix on Tuesday has caused the cancellation of 20 American Airlines flights out of Sky Harbor International Airport.
He said the latest heat wave, like all heat waves, forms within a dome of high pressure.
Heat alerts were issued by the National Weather Service across Arizona, western New Mexico, southern Utah, southern Nevada and portions of California. San Diego County Animal Services says it has received around 30 rattlesnake calls in the past week as the weather has warmed.
Kuhlman, who is based in Phoenix, admitted that he woke up at 4 a.m. Tuesday to do yard work before the sun came up.
Gulf carriers also tend to operate longer flights using larger planes that aren't as limited by high heat. It set the hottest known temperature in the world - 134 Fahrenheit degrees (about 56.7 Celsius degrees) on July 10, 1913.
And if it tries to land when the air is too thin and hot, that's not good either because it can run out of runway, McNally said.
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