Significant Freezing Event in Northwest US Puts Ice on Runway, Sea-Tac Airport Flights Canceled

The Northeast US experiences a significant freezing event that causes ice to form on Sea-Tac Airport's runways. All flights were canceled, and the airport issued a closing announcement with no rebooking options for the day.

Sea-Tac Airport Flights Canceled, No Rebooking

The Seattle airport and other major transit systems are closed due to a rare Pacific Northwest ice storm, which is also causing a power outage for tens of thousands of customers.

In the Seattle and Portland areas, freezing rain has been falling since late Thursday night, covering everything in a layer of ice.

Ice on the runway forced Sea-Tac Airport to close just after five in the morning, according to airport officials. Alaska Airlines advised everyone in Seattle to return home because there won't be any rebooking options for days due to ongoing weather problems. The airline canceled all flights through noon from both Seattle and Portland. The airport in Bellingham, Washington made a Friday morning announcement about closing as well.

According to KIRO 7, Friday at Sea-Tac International Airport saw the cancellation of hundreds of flights. The airport tweeted that one of its runways had reopened after being closed down at 6:57 AM. Perry Cooper, the spokesperson for Port of Seattle, explained to KIRO 7 that when freezing rain descended on the airfield at around two in the morning, it quickly solidified on the surfaces. The remaining runways will be closed indefinitely as weather conditions dictate. In the meantime, 85 flights were delayed as of 7:30 AM, and 443 flights were canceled. A few airlines canceled some flights in advance of the storm, KIRO 7 reports.

Ice on Runway, Ice on Roads, Ice on Rails

In response to icy roads, King County Metro, Sound Transit, and Washington State Ferries all announced service suspensions. King County Metro, which operates bus service throughout the Seattle area, also announced limited service on other routes. Even the monorail service in Seattle has been halted. I-90 between Bellevue and Snoqualmie was shut down for several miles, according to the Washington State Patrol, because of ice-covered roads. The Washington State Department of Transportation tweeted about the hazardous driving conditions outside, mentioning that there was ice everywhere and that it is best to avoid the roads because there have been too many collisions and spinouts to count.

Ice and Damaging Winds

Crews were hard at work clearing wrecks from slick roads as well as power lines and downed trees from the combination of ice and strong wind in the Portland and Willamette Valley area. 35-45 mph gusts were recorded in the Portland metro area, but 55 mph gusts were recorded further east, close to the Columbia River Gorge outflow.

According to the National Weather Service, winds were even stronger inside the Gorge, with a peak gust of 87 mph being recorded at Corbett High School.

Britta Merwin, a meteorologist from FOX Weather, said that when it comes to driving on the roads, ice can occasionally be worse than snow.

The Columbia Gorge and eastern Willamette Valley may experience ice accumulations through Saturday, with ice accumulations in the Gorge reaching almost an inch.

Read also: Dynamic Winter Storm Unloads Rain, Sleet, Snow in the Northeast US While Midwest Blizzard Hits Central Appalachians with Rapid Freeze-Up 

Winter Storm Warnings

There were still winter storm warnings in place for much of northwest Oregon and western Washington in case freezing rain persisted into the midday or early afternoon. In the Portland area, ice accumulations are predicted to reach 0.2 to 0.4 inches, while in Seattle and western Washington, accumulations are more likely to be between a tenth and a quarter of an inch.

One-quarter to one-half inch of ice accumulations are regarded as "disruptive," and numerous power outages as well as some tree damage are anticipated as a result of the extremely slick roads. A one-half inch or more of accretions signals the start of a potentially disastrous event that can result in widespread power outages, debris and tree falls, and hazardous driving conditions.

Ice Storm and Power Outage

For the Oregon cities of Eugene and Corvallis, where accumulations might reach the ominous half-inch threshold, ice storm warnings were in effect.

As of 6:30 AM, 13,000 people in Washington were without electricity. According to PowerOutage.us, Oregon had a little over 11,000 without power as of Friday PST.

As a dense arctic air mass settled in, temperatures in western Washington and northern Oregon were in the 20s on Friday morning. This was the third morning with temperatures below freezing in the area, FOX Weather reports.

Related article: Winter Storm Puts 37 States in Blizzard Conditions, "Life-Threatening" Wind Chills Before Christmas