Freezing rain shuts RDM; passengers stuck for hours

Freezing rain conditions hit the High Desert hard Wednesday morning, leading to closures of roads, schools and even the airport. Roberts Field Municipal Airport was closed from 2 a.m. until 9 a.m., messing up many travelers’ plans.

Redmond canceled five flights and had five delayed flights due to the severe weather. Some passengers cooled their heels for more than six hours.

“We shut down our whole airfield, so it was closed to our commercial traffic and private planes as well,” said Roberts Field Security Manager Nicole Jurgensen.

By noon, weather conditions improved and delayed passengers were getting ready to board.

“I totally understood that they closed. It was bad this morning just walking, so I totally understood that they closed,” said traveler Marissa Becker Ornad.

“You’re kind of helpless, but you just go to roll with it. There’s nothing you can do,” said Robert Good, who was waiting for his delayed flight.

The flight cancellations and airport closure were due to the freezing rain that appeared early in the morning.

“The type of de-icing equipment and chemicals we use just can’t keep up with it, so it’s safest to close the airport at that time,” Jurgensen explained.

The freezing rain causes the runways to become too slick to use, and planes can’t arrive or depart safely.

“We do these tests called a braking action report, and they essentially go out and run down the runway in their trucks and hit their brakes, and this equipment reads the braking action,” Jurgensen said.

The test results determine whether or not it’s safe for planes to use the runway. This ultimately decides whether or not the airport will close. When weather is severe, the airport conducts braking action tests several times a day.

“We do all we can to keep the airport open, but when there is that safety concern, we do close it,” explained Jurgensen.

The airport also had to close last week due to the snow and ice. Good, whose flight back home was delayed Wednesday, also had trouble flying on Thanksgiving. He spent his holiday in the Denver Airport due to Redmond Airport’s closure last week.

“Instead of arriving at 12:30 Thursday Thanksgiving day, we didn’t arrive until 12:30 or 1 o’clock the following morning,” Good said.

Unfortunately, the weather is out of the airport’s control. Roberts Field officials said they’re doing their best to get passengers to and from their destinations safely and in a timely manner.

Airport officials also urged that if you think weather may affect your upcoming flight, be sure to contact your air carrier or check the airport’s website, flyrdm.com. They said it’s also smart to wear weather appropriate shoes to the airport, as sidewalks and runways can be slippery.