A dozen aircraft have been delayed at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas due to the extreme heat. According to Crystal Essiaw, a spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration, Flights have been delayed by 1 hour and 33 minutes due to weather-related concerns like heat and wind that predicted that the city could set an all-time high this weekend.
With Las Vegas possibly setting a new high-temperature record this weekend, flights are being impacted. According to the National Weather Service, McCarran reached 115 on Friday, a record for the date. Several people voiced their frustration on Twitter after their flights to Las Vegas were canceled on Friday. Around 30 arrivals and about 20 departures were canceled by airlines.
The airport reported four heat-related delays on Monday. According to Christine Crews, an airport spokeswoman, the flights were largely cross-country aircraft carrying a large number of people and fuel.
According to an Aviation expert, Extreme heat produces thinner air, which lacks the density required to provide adequate lift for the plane to take off or land. The ability of an aircraft to climb effectively is likewise limited by heat, and the larger the plane, the greater the problem.
In an email, a spokesperson for Southwest Airlines, the airline that was responsible for the majority of the canceled flights at McCarran International Airport, stated that the cancellations were due to the heat. They said, replying to one of the frustrated passengers, “Extreme heat is resulting in some Air Traffic Control (ATC) Vegas flight cancelations. We know that this is never something that our Customers want to experience, and we appreciate you hanging in there with us while our Teams work to have you on your way ASAP, Sarah! -Heather”
McCarran also confirmed this on Twitter. On Twitter, McCarran Airport recommended travelers to verify their flight status with their carrier.
McCarran Airport’s warning was later placed on the FAA’s website. According to the notification, certain inbound planes are experiencing delays, which is also affecting departing flights.
Due to the heat and wind, the Federal Aviation Administration and the McCarran airport developed a traffic management program, according to the agency and the airport. According to the agency, this is causing some arrivals to be delayed by an hour and a half on average.
Clay Morgan, a Las Vegas-based meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said, “It’s always hot, but it’s not always this hot,” who described the heat as “unusual” and on the verge of breaking all-time records. He predicted that the city could set an all-time high of 117 degrees this weekend. Only four times has this happened, the most recent being in 2017.
Not only just Las Vegas
The National Weather Service reports that over 30 million people are under extreme heat warnings.
In Grand Junction, Colorado, the airport hit an all-time high of 107 degrees, shattering the previous record of 106 degrees set in 2005. Just after noon on Friday, it was 100 degrees in Sacramento. A high temperature of 130 degrees was recorded in Death Valley.
The Los Angeles Times reported that some communities in California reached record high temperatures on Saturday, including 120 degrees in Palm Springs. For weeks, parts of the Western United States have been suffering dangerously high temperatures. Multiple days in a succession of triple-digit temperatures were experienced in certain Northwest cities.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, June 2021 was the hottest June ever recorded in the United States.
