I’ll just chime in here and mention that while minimum fuel temperature is often a concern (icing and all that nonsense) maximum fuel temperature is also a concern.
I’ve never had it happen to me, but I can see it happening. In my airplane the maximum fuel temp is 50c. Taking off from New Orleans in the summer and staying below 10,000 feet on my way to Houston, the fuel stays hot. When we get there and the fuel truck that has been sitting in the sun all day and pumps 50+c fuel into the wings we now have a problem.
Until the fuel cools below 50c, we are not moving. Granted, this is an extreme situation - any airplane that has flown a long distance will have cold fuel in it’s wings.
But it CAN happen - so the OP is not imagining things.
As to why fuel temp matters - there are several reasons. First is density, because you need to know how much fuel you have on board (not in gallons, but in pounds). This is what you use to flight plan. Fuel density changes with temperature, but fuel weight is constant - by measuring pounds you get a consistent measurement on the ramp and at cruise.
Also - fuel (ie jet fuel) is a wonderful thing. It operates consistently at wildly varying temps. At the extreme ranges of those temps we take some precautions.
Is it OK to cruise at altitude with 50c fuel? Yeah - what else are you going to do?
Is it OK to take off with 50c fuel in the tanks? Mmmm - maybe not. Let’s go get some shade and wait. I don’t want to be the test pilot on this one.
If we take off will the plane blow up? Of course not. But will it perform like the charts say it will? Hmmm…I don’t know.
Am I willing to risk my life and everyone else’s on board by saying that I think 51C fuel is fine when the books say 49C is the max?
I am not, and I think you will find that most pilots respect that limits are put there for a reason.
I flew in the USAF for 10 years, and many of the numbers in my books were written in blood.
This discussion has talked a lot about pressure altitude (which does affect performance) but the specific question of the OP has been skipped.
If the fuel temp was too hot, then it was too hot. End of story. Wait for it to cool to whatever the airplane limits are. That might just be the temp that airplane was certified for, or it might be a legal number and not a performance one. Either way, that airplane is not moving until that fuel gets below that number. Cool your heels and wait.
Would you want to fly with a pilot that ignored a published limit for his airplane?
.