SEATTLE — Hundreds of flights out of Sea-Tac Airport have been canceled or delayed as another snowstorm passes through Western Washington.
The airport recorded 6.1 inches of snow as of Monday at 8 p.m., including 2 inches that fell in one hour during the afternoon.
Of the flights originating from Sea-Tac, 199 were canceled and 152 were delayed as of 7:45 p.m., according to Flight Aware, which tracks flight cancelations and delays. Just under one-third of flights out of the airport had been canceled.
The airport tweeted there was more snowfall than expected Monday afternoon, creating backups with de-icing the planes and delays for arriving flights that were unable to get to their gates.
Alaska Airlines said in a blog post the snow lengthened de-icing times and in some cases planes were pushed back, only to sit on the tarmac and return to a gate later.
Earlier in the afternoon, snow forced a ground stop at the airport, and at least 14 flights were diverted to other airports, including Bellingham, Portland, Boise, and Oakland.
Sea-Tac recommends travelers check their flight status online, follow the latest weather forecast, and sign up for airport text alerts by texting the word UPDATE to (206) 347-8045. If all else fails, pack your patience.