No Gas Shortage But Tanks Empty Due to Storm
BELLEVUE, Wash. -- A major winter storm that struck the Pacific Northwest and caused scores of pre-holiday travel problems also left some filling stations high and dry.
There was no problem at the refineries, but roads in many places were too hazardous for large fuel trucks to make it to the gas stations, according to reports. The result: deliveries backed up and now suppliers have to handle the back log once roads begin to clear up.
Thousands of people had been stranded at West Coast airports for days by cancellations due to winter weather. At Seattle’s Sea-Tac airport, Alaska and Horizon airlines—which account for half of all flights into and out of the airport—offered limited service Monday and planned to resume normal operations Tuesday. However, another storm was expected to move into the Northwest on Tuesday evening, bringing more snow to the area and likely causing renewed travel disruptions.
There was no problem at the refineries, but roads in many places were too hazardous for large fuel trucks to make it to the gas stations, according to reports. The result: deliveries backed up and now suppliers have to handle the back log once roads begin to clear up.
Thousands of people had been stranded at West Coast airports for days by cancellations due to winter weather. At Seattle’s Sea-Tac airport, Alaska and Horizon airlines—which account for half of all flights into and out of the airport—offered limited service Monday and planned to resume normal operations Tuesday. However, another storm was expected to move into the Northwest on Tuesday evening, bringing more snow to the area and likely causing renewed travel disruptions.