Live updates: Transportation paralyzed as ice storm slams Western Washington on Friday

Freezing rain left Western Washington under a coating of ice Friday morning, paralyzing the region’s transportation network two days before Christmas.

A winter storm warning was in effect until 7 p.m. for much of the region, including Tacoma and Olympia, with the National Weather Service office in Seattle calling for “heavy mixed precipitation, including freezing rain. Additional ice accumulations of up to a tenth of an inch possible.”

Authorities advised people not to drive, as surfaces were treacherous and there reports of wrecks across the region.

“If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency,” the Weather Service reported just before 5 a.m.

Here are major developments:

Sea-Tac Airport suspends operations

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport announced about 5:10 a.m. that it runways would be closed indefinitely “as we continue to de-ice surfaces.”

Numerous flights were delayed or canceled.

“Safety is our priority before we can reopen the runways,” the airport said on Twitter. “Check with your airline for further updates on your specific flight.”

6:57 a.m.: Sea-Tac reports one runway is now open, but service remains limited at the airport.

3:40 p.m.: Sea-Tac reports two of its three runways are now operational.

Transit in Pierce and King counties

Pierce Transit reported that all routes were suspended Friday morning. At 10 a.m., a spokesperson said service would remain suspended until conditions improve. The transit agency did not have an estimate for when service would begin. Morning service for routes 497 and 63 were canceled. Afternoon service will be evaluated as conditions change.

“Once service starts, they will be on a snow detour,” the agency reported on Twitter. “Click here for your route’s snow schedule: https://bit.ly/2R3csj0.”

King County Metro suspended all service Friday morning. At 10 a.m., service remained suspended and King County Metro said it would provide an update at 2 p.m. It said buses are unable to leave their bases due to unsafe road conditions.

8:36 a.m.: Sound Transit has suspended express bus service.

“Buses are unable to leave bus bases due to the deteriorating and unsafe road conditions,” the agency said in a news release. “Service will be added as soon as it is safe for customers and employees.”

Ferry service suspended on many routes

The Washington State Department of Transportation said many of its ferry routes were indefinitely suspended.

“Today severe weather is impacting our service. Service has been suspended on the #SeattleBremerton route and #PortTowsendCoupeville route. We are operating one boat service on the #FauntleroyVashonSouthworth route, #SeattleBainbridge,” Washington State Ferries tweeted.

Puget Sound Energy says be prepared for long outages

No power outages were reported in or around Tacoma just before 7 a.m. Puget Sound Energy, which serves much of Pierce County, said crews were ready to respond, but it warned that road conditions could make it difficult for crews to get where they need to go to get the lights back on.

A large outage was reported Thursday evening in the Greenwater area that left about 1,207 customers without power, according to PSE’s outage map. It was estimated that power would be restored by 6 p.m. Friday. North of Purdy on the Kitsap Peninsula, 439 customers reportedly lost power at 6:15 a.m. Power appeared to be restored by 9:50 a.m.

Two outages near Vaughn left about 680 people without power at about 9 a.m., according to Peninsula Light Company. By 9:50 a.m., only about 114 customers appeared to have an outage. Peninsula Light said crews were working to remove a large tree from power lines causing the power loss.

“In light of these conditions and potential delays to responding, we encourage customers to make plans now to be without power, possibly for an extended time,” PSE said in a statement on its website. “We know this is frustrating and disruptive to holiday plans and we will be working around the clock to respond.”

PSE said customers should charge cell phones in case power goes out, and it recommended having a battery-powered radio on hand as well as other emergency supplies such as food, extra batteries and a flashlight. It said people should check on neighbors or others who might need help. Shelter and warming center information is available by calling 211.

Road closures

The Washington State Department of Transportation closed state Route 7 between Elbe and Morton on Friday morning with no estimated reopening time.

The city of Tacoma announced a number of street closures, which can be found at https://cityoftacoma.org/inclement_weather.

WSDOT has a statewide map showing road closures and other issues. Find it at https://wsdot.com/Travel/Real-time/Map/.

10 a.m.: WSDOT announced the closure of eastbound state Route 18 “at Issaquah-Hobart Road Southeast (milepost 20) due to multiple collisions, spinouts and a jackknifed semi.” It is expected to take several hours for the road to be back open.

4 p.m.: Mount Rainier National Park announced the road from Longmire to Paradise will open Saturday morning. But, the park urged travelers to check back for updates Saturday morning.

Metro Parks Tacoma

Metro Parks Tacoma announced that most facilities and parks would be closed Friday due to ice.

▪ Open: Zoolights will be open Friday afternoon and evening at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. Point Defiance Park’s front gates will be open for Zoolights access, and restrooms at the park are open.

▪ Closed: Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium will be closed during the day. Also closed are Northwest Trek and Meadow Park Golf Course, both courses and all facilities, including: pro shop, driving range, and Foley’s Restaurant. Metro Parks headquarters, all community centers, Fort Nisqually Living History Museum, Five Mile Drive, Tacoma Nature Center, W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory and gates and restrooms in community and neighborhood parks are closed.

No trash and recycling pickup in Tacoma Friday

The city of Tacoma will not be picking up residential garbage, recycling and food/yard waste on Friday.

Solid Waste Management crews will attempt to pick up recycling and food/yard waste containers one day late, depending on available resources and road conditions. Residential customers should call 253-502-2100 for missed containers if they have not been served for more than two days after their scheduled collection day. The Tacoma Recovery and Transfer Center, including the Tacoma Recycle Center, is scheduled to open at noon Friday.

Solid waste crews will be one day late on residential garbage collection the week of Dec. 26.