"Seattle Braces for Wet Commute, Travel Woes, and Election Updates"

Good morning, this is Seattle Local Pulse for Friday, November seventh. As we start our day, we’re bracing for a wet and blustery stretch. The first alert weather mode is in effect, with showers already moving through South Seattle and heavier rain and gusty winds set to hit during the afternoon commute. Expect standing water, poor visibility, and those famous leaves clogging our storm drains. Temperatures feel mild for November, starting in the mid-forties and nudging into the low fifties, but plan for slick roads and delays. The silver lining is a dry weekend ahead, so let’s hang in there through tonight’s mess and look forward to a break in the clouds. At Sea-Tac, many are waking up to a travel headache. Starting today, Alaska Airlines, along with Hawaiian and Horizon, will be canceling dozens of flights out of Seattle. This is a response to FAA guidance driven by air traffic control shortages tied to the ongoing government shutdown. Airlines say they’ll try to keep flights to smaller communities running, but anyone flying today or this weekend should check the status of their itinerary before heading to the airport. We’re still waiting on final results from this week’s election. As of last night, Mayor Bruce Harrell leads the mayoral race by roughly eight points over Katie Wilson. But Seattleites know the story does not end on election night, with late-counted ballots typically shifting results leftward, as we’ve seen in several previous mayoral races. Expect another batch of tallies by late afternoon, but the race isn’t officially called yet. While city hall watched local races closely, the broader national swing towards Democrats this week is sparking discussions within the Washington Democratic Party about the future direction ahead of next year’s big midterms. In the job market, it’s a tough moment for Seattle. Over four thousand jobs were lost in Western Washington last month alone, part of a broader national wave. Technology, warehousing, retail, and logistics are among the hardest hit industries here. With job openings slowing and layoffs stacking up, competition is tightening for available work, especially for those affected by the ongoing government shutdown, which has left many federal workers in a holding pattern. A state webinar for impacted workers is being held this morning. Turning to real estate, we’re seeing much more inventory for buyers this fall. The Seattle region ended October with nearly a third more active listings compared to last year, nudging the median sale price for a single family home slightly down to around six hundred sixty thousand dollars. While King County’s median edged up by about four percent, neighboring counties saw price dips. Brokers say this could be an opportune time for savvy buyers, as the market continues its seasonal cool-down. On the city beat, Seattle Public Utilities reminds us that tide levels will be at seasonal highs today and tomorrow downtown, so waterfront areas like Alaskan Way a This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.