An airport worker de-ices a Southwest Airlines plan at Portland International Airport, as trucks try to scrape ice off the tarmac Wednesday. Snow and freezing rain formed thick layers of ice on the runways, closing the airport and stranding thousands of passengers. By late afternoon, the ice covering the runway was so thick it peeled off in sheets, and attempts to plow the snow or clear the runways with de-icer were temporarily abandoned, said airport spokesman Steve Johnson. AP Photo

PORTLAND - Thousands of passengers remained stranded as icy runways and jets shrouded in frost shut down the Portland International Airport.

The ice covering the runway Wednesday was so thick it peeled off in sheets, and attempts to plow the snow or clear the runways with de-icer proved fruitless.

Passengers were sent home or to hotels. But a few hundred slept at the airport, using blankets distributed by the Red Cross.

American, America West and Horizon airlines all canceled their morning flights today.

Dennis and Linda Wyza arrived at the airport early Wednesday, hoping to escape the glum weather for Honolulu. They spent the day lounging in airport waiting area.

"It's not very comfortable - a lot of people are spread around and napping," said Dennis Wyza.

But Linda Wyza said spirits were still relatively high. "Looking around you can see that people are frustrated, but everyone kind of realizes they're in the same boat."

In the NBA, the Memphis Grizzlies' game at the Utah Jazz was postponed Wednesday because the ice prevented the Grizzlies from leaving Portland. The Trail Blazers decided to fly out of Eugene late Wednesday to make Thursday's game in Minnesota.

Other transportation options also proved problematical. Many city buses were stranded and the light-rail transit system remained sidelined for a second day because of packed snow on the icy rails.

Crews scattered sand on major thoroughfares in Portland, but side streets were blocked by mounds of snow. Interstate 84 through the Columbia River Gorge from Troutdale to Hood River remained closed, and many other roads were closed at various times because of ice, accidents and downed trees.

The conditions closed numerous businesses and schools on Wednesday, including Oregon State and Portland State universities. Portland public schools announced there would be no school Thursday. Federal Express canceled all deliveries in the Portland area for the first time in at least a decade, according to company spokesman Anthony Hicks.

The storm also led to broken water mains and power outages. More than 30,000 Portland General Electric customers were still without electricity late Wednesday.

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