More than 160 arriving and departing flights out of Sea-Tac Airport were canceled Tuesday morning as the Puget Sound region got its first taste of winter weather this season.
As of 12:15 p.m., at least 82 arriving flights and 79 departing flights from the airport were canceled, according to the Port of Seattle website. Most of the cancelations were Alaska Airlines flights.
A travel advisory at the top of the Alaska Airlines website Tuesday morning said “a flexible travel policy is in place” for travel to or from Seattle.
The Seattle-based airline said it “proactively reduced our flight schedule” at Sea-Tac Airport on Tuesday before the wintry conditions arrived to “keep our operations running as smoothly as possible at our main hub.”
The National Weather Service (NWS) said 0.9 inches of snow was measured at Sea-Tac Airport by 11:20 a.m. Tuesday. The daily snow record for Nov. 29 in Seattle is 1 inch set in 2006, according to the NWS.
In a blog post, Alaska Airlines said crews intentionally slowed operations “to allow time for the extra steps required during snowy or icy conditions.”
Reducing the number of flights helps ease congestion at the airport and allows crews to focus on deicing the aircraft. Alaska Airlines said deicing requires extra staffing and time, adding it could take “up to 30 minutes to deice one place.”
The airline said “additional cancellations are possible as we assess the weather’s impact on our operation” Tuesday and Wednesday. Click here to read more on the Alaska Airlines website.
The airline said it is offering the flexible travel policy for passengers wishing to change or cancel their flight. Click here for more information.
The Port of Seattle posted on its website that crews were “aware of and ready to respond” to the winter weather. However, travelers were urged to check with airlines to see if their flight was impacted.
Light snow developed across the lowlands Tuesday morning and slowly accumulated as temperatures across the region were below freezing.
Warmer wind is expected to slowly erode the cold air, changing snow to rain on Tuesday. The timing of the transition will be dependent on many hyper-local weather factors, according to KOMO News Meteorologist Kristin Clark.
A Winter Weather Advisory for western Whatcom and Skagit counties, parts of King and Snohomish counties, and the Admiralty Inlet and Lower Chehalis Valley areas is in effect from 1 p.m. Tuesday until Wednesday.
The National Weather Service said areas around Seattle and Bellevue could see total snow accumulations of one to four inches by Wednesday morning. Snow accumulation is likely Tuesday afternoon and evening.
KOMO News Meteorologist Kristin Clark one to four inches of snow is possible from Federal Way to Maple Valley, while the northern half of King County into Snohomish County could potentially see four to eight inches of snow. Higher amounts are possible in the Cascade foothills.
While lowland snow is expected to fall, Clark said most of what accumulates is expected to melt by Wednesday morning. Temperatures are expected to warm into the 40s as snow changes to rain, before the precipitation gradually tapers to an end.
Another round of lowland snow is possible Wednesday night into Thursday as a rush of cold air moves into the region, with temperatures expected to dip into the 20s. Clark said any quick burst of heavy snow showers could result in a minor accumulation in spots.
The cold air is expected to remain in place over the region through early next week.