Brrrr! Beware icy roads after freezing temps overnight; Alaska Airlines canceling 35 flights

SEATTLE -- Wintry weather is here for the long haul.

On Monday night, snow showers were falling mainly outside of the Seattle metro area, with most on the higher hills away from the Puget Sound.  Q13 News Chief Meteorologist Walter Kelley says an inch or more was projected to fall in the convergence zone. Port Angeles will see the most, with more than 3 inches there.

The bigger story is the ice for the next three mornings. Outside of Seattle, temperatures were to drop down into the 20s overnight for the first time in a year or more, and that makes for icy roads for all. Remember icy sidewalks, too.

The temperatures overnight will make it the coldest weather in the area since New Year's Day 2016.



 









Alaska Airlines announced it was canceling about 35 flights from 6 a.m. until noon Tuesday.

"Wintry weather conditions are still impacting flight operations at Sea-Tac International Airport," the Alaska Airlines statement said. "Additional precipitation is forecasted tonight with cold temperatures settling in, creating the potential for ice at the airport and on aircraft. That requires deicing of planes before they can takeoff.

"As a precaution, Alaska Airlines is cancelling roughly 35 flights from 6 a.m. to noon on Tuesday. That’s the busiest time for departures at the Sea-Tac. The number of available gates at the airport is already at capacity, so a notable weather event puts even more pressure on airport operations. Pre-cancelling flights prevents congestion and allows our crews to keep up with the workload, especially when deicing is required.

"Customers will be notified if their flight is being cancelled. Passengers are also encouraged to check alaskaair.com or Alaska’s mobile app before heading to the airport to verify the status of their flight.

"Alaska has issued a flexible travel policy for customers traveling to and from Seattle. Customers may change or refund tickets without incurring a fee for travel originally scheduled for Dec. 5 or Dec. 6. Tickets may be changed to reissued or refunded if the travel is in the same cabin and completed on or before Dec. 11."









King County urged travelers to prepare for possible snow and travel delays. A National Weather Service "winter weather advisory" was issued Monday night for north of Seattle and east to Bellevue.





Seattle and cities across the region were opening warming shelters for the homeless.

Snow forced several local school districts to delay/close school in Western Washington on Monday, and some more are expected Tuesday.