COVID, snow force flight cancellations at Sea-Tac Airport; more snow before frigid NW thaws
SEATTLE (AP) — A thaw-out is coming for the frozen Seattle and Portland areas, but not before another round of snow that could compound travel and other problems for a region more accustomed to winter rain than arctic blasts.
Forecasters say parts of western Washington could see up to 3 inches of snow Thursday and northwestern Oregon could see a similar amount. The normally temperate part of the Pacific Northwest has shivered with temperatures hitting the single digits in some areas this week after extreme cold air from Canada’s Fraser River Valley blew in on Sunday.
For days, travelers flying to or from the Seattle area have faced cancellations, delays, lost luggage, unexpected hotel stays and mounting frustration amid snowy, frigid winter weather and pandemic-related staffing issues.
The Seattle Times reports since snow began falling on Sunday, nearly 1,300 flights into and out of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport have been canceled, with hundreds more delayed.
With more snow forecast for Seattle later this week and airline industrywide staffing shortages, many travelers were bracing for more delays and disappointment. Seattle-based Alaska Airlines was strongly urging flyers with non-essential travel scheduled before Jan. 2 to consider changing their travel to a later date.
Elsewhere, more snow and rain fell on California on Wednesday, causing travel disruptions on mountain routes and raising the risk of debris flows from wildfire burn scars.
The situation has been acute in Alaska, where hundreds of passengers, many from coastal villages, have been stranded in the town of Bethel because of bad weather and ill-equipped airports.
Temperatures could rise above freezing in Seattle Thursday and be even warmer in Portland, before airflow from the Pacific blows in on the weekend and causes the mercury to rise to more seasonable highs in the 40s Fahrenheit (4.4 Celsius).
State officials in Oregon have declared an emergency. In Multnomah County — home to Portland — about a half dozen weather shelters were open this week. A similar number of shelters were opened in Seattle’s King County, which also declared an emergency.
Seattle leaders said city shelters will remain open through the new year.
Winter weather and a return to pre-pandemic levels of traffic have resulted in hundreds of accidents on Oregon roads this holiday season.
Oregon Public Broadcasting reported that between Dec. 23 and Dec. 28 there were 915 traffic accidents in the state. During that same period last year there were 365 accidents and 237 in 2019, according to Oregon State Police. The number of deaths has not been calculated yet.
David House, a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Transportation, said the high number of accidents over the last week is a reminder to travelers to use caution and prepare for slick conditions.
“If you can sit tight for a couple more days, just avoid getting out there, that’s going to be the safest thing you can possibly do,” House said.
Meanwhile, in Nevada, the governor plans to declare a state of emergency due to snow and storm conditions affecting travel in the Lake Tahoe area of northern Nevada.
