Winter Storm - Feb. 2021
 

Might as well get this started. The NWS has predicted a major winter snow storm starting Thursday and lasting through the weekend. SeaTac forecast at the moment is 4" Thursday and 2.5" both Friday and Saturday. As we all know SeaTac really isn't the best at snow operations so let the fun begin!

Models for PDX range between 0"-20" of snow falling in the next 5 days. Should be interesting one way or the other.

The first day back flying in almost 2 years and snow in the forecast. :p

Flight is morning, so hope I can get out before it starts. Wife however, flies out Friday morning..which..could be rough...

Good luck everyone.

Snowmageddon is coming, cancel your flights people, I want an upgrade!

I'm kind of looking forward to watching some snow at SEA while boarding for TPA. Makes it seem even warmer down there. I just hope that with flight numbers way down versus last winter there won't be such a backup for de-icing.

I was not worried about leaving SEA next week, I was more worried about being in Vermont - 90 minutes to the hotel, and 60 minutes to the factory. Looks like both ends of this trip will be dicey!

Yeah, this is looking like it could be one for the ages.... or it could be nothing. For those of you not in the Pac NW it's not that our weather people are lame, it's just REALLY tough to predict how air masses and precipitation will move in off The Pacific. I have no official training (I'm just kind of a lifelong weather nut) but I think it's a lot easier to predict things once the storms are over land. Here in the Portland/Willamette Valley area it's often a fight between moisture coming from the SW and cold air coming from the east up the Columbia River Gorge. I'm 15 miles south of the gorge and can get hammered or have nothing depending on the way a bit of wind blows.

As far as travel, check back often as things change quickly and often. AS serves tons of small airports all over OR/WA and beyond, and could have a bunch of cancellations.... or none :) At least by now we're all pretty well trained at staying home, right?

One last thing with this storm that caught my attention - Central Oregon (Redmond airport - RDM) area is predicted to get hit pretty hard. Central Oregon is far drier than the Willamette Valley which is west of The Cascades so it seems this storm might be a bit out of the norm. I might also just be paying more attention since my oldest son lives in Bend. Stay safe everyone!!

Snow, and the PNW loses its mind. The bright side of the pandemic is that with the significant decrease in air traffic, perhaps things will move smoothly without back ups....we will see.

My first flight since March of 2020 on Friday morning. It is never dull :p

Im headed to HNL from SFO tomorrow morning - the turbulence forecast over the pacific looks aweful....

The unpredictability of tropical storms/hurricanes while they are over water is another example of this phenomenon. (I also have zero official training.)

Flying through Seattle, SLC and PDX the next few days, should be fun.

I have an SFO-LAX on Friday where the regional aircraft originates in Boise that morning. I don't have any other options to get to my east coast destination if that flight does not operate on time. Plan right now is SDC on Thursday for an earlier option instead of risking not going out at all on Friday.

For those with experience with Alaska weather waivers, can those of us at SFO take advantage of them if the aircraft is originating in the storm zone and flying to SFO, or do they only allow those waivers if you're actually in the path of the storm? If the waiver goes up today, I'd like to take advantage of it versus waiting for SDC on Thursday.

We’re getting snow in texas. DFW will be a .... show . American will cancel a lot of flights. If it snows 3 inches their lone snow plow and 3 de icing trucks will really be effective.

Looks like the storm forecast has shifted a bit. Thursday is showing almost no accumulations, BUT FRIDAY...6.5" at SeaTac....Good luck everyone.

DFW has 24 snow plows and AA has at least that many deicing trucks.