US: Rare snow shuts Seattle area schools, cuts power for 100,000

A snowstorm that blanketed Seattle and western Washington state into Monday morning prompted widespread school closures, flight cancellations and power outages for more than 100,000 electrical utility customers, officials said. The storm that started Sunday night caused a messy morning commute for Seattle residents, and a winter storm warning remained in effect Monday for the greater Seattle area. Forecasters said as much as 30 inches of snow could fall in the Cascade Mountains. The storm hit Seattle after one storm after another has slammed Portland, Oregon. Forecasts for a major snowstorm for Portland turned out false as temperatures remained above freezing. But heavy rain fell in Portland and pushed rivers toward flood stage. At Seattle-Tacoma International Airport dozens of flights were cancelled at Seattle-Tacoma because of snow and ice. Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Bobbie Egan said the carrier had trouble getting some employees to the airport and that passengers faced delays because workers had to deice jets. "It's taking 30-45 minutes to deice a single plane, which is a significant issue to get planes out," Egan said. "It's a messy scene and we apologize for that, but it's a severe event."<br/>