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Arizona is so hot right now planes can’t take off and plastic and paint are melting

A local temperature sign reads 120-degrees as temperatures climb to near-record highs Tuesday, June 20, 2017, in Phoenix. The National Weather Service forecasts a high of 120 degrees (49 degrees Celsius), which is has only hit three times in recorded history in Phoenix, the last time 22 years ago.
A local temperature sign reads 120-degrees as temperatures climb to near-record highs Tuesday, June 20, 2017, in Phoenix. The National Weather Service forecasts a high of 120 degrees (49 degrees Celsius), which is has only hit three times in recorded history in Phoenix, the last time 22 years ago. AP

Arizona is no stranger to heat waves. But even by natives’ own high standards, the past week has been scorching.

The Guinness World Record for hottest temperature ever recorded is 134 degrees Fahrenheit. In Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona, it’s touched 119 degrees and just barely gone below 90 at any point over the past week, according to the National Weather Service.

It’s been so hot that regional flights in Phoenix have been canceled, because some planes cannot be operated in the excessive heat, according to the Washington Post.

And according to social media users, the heat has made some strange things happen on the ground, including melting mailboxes, actual cookies baked in a car and drivers busting out oven mitts just to grab the steering wheel.

This story was originally published June 24, 2017 at 1:56 PM with the headline "Arizona is so hot right now planes can’t take off and plastic and paint are melting."

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