Travelers: Prepare for cold weather and possible snow, King County advises

As the Puget Sound region braces for its first winter cold snap, travelers in King County should prepare for the possibility of snow and travel disruptions this week.

At the moment, the National Weather Service is forecasting a slight chance of snow on Wednesday night. See more at forecast.weather.gov.

The city of Mercer Island’s “Snow and Ice Response Plan” can be found at www.mercergov.org/Page.asp?NavID=2865. Earlier this week, the city advised residents to watch for freezing temperatures, minor snow and possible black ice. To sign up to receive emergency communications from the city, visit www.mercergov.org/AlertSystem.

Find the Mercer Island School District’s procedures for weather-related school cancellations or delays at www.mercerislandschools.org. To receive the most immediate updates on closures or late starts, go to the Flash Alert Newswire website at www.flashalert.net.

The King County Department of Transportation urges Metro Transit customers and water taxi riders, as well as people who travel unincorporated county roads, to monitor weather reports and connect to information available from King County, including travel alerts.

King County’s My Commute page is a resource for monitoring the status of roads, and information is available on the county roads’ snow response page.

Metro Transit riders can review timetables and the transit adverse weather page for snow route information.

Regional updates will be posted on the King County Emergency blog.

Road Services crews are on rotation and available to sand and plow mapped snow routes. Call the 24/7 Roads Helpline to report road traffic safety issues in unincorporated King County, such as downed stop signs, malfunctioning signals or trees over the roadway. The 24/7 Helpline: 206-477-8100 or 1-800-527-6237 (1-800-KC-ROADS). The Snow and Ice page has more information.

Metro Transit supervisors are staffing the agency’s control center, actively monitoring the forecast and will respond to changing weather conditions in the event they affect roads across King County. If necessary, Metro has the ability to chain its fleet and shift buses to snow routes. As weather conditions continue to develop, Metro customers are urged to familiarize themselves with the planned snow route for their regular bus.

Water Taxi crews are prepared to respond to icy conditions should they develop at the docks served by the water taxi, which currently operates weekday service.

Airport personnel monitor airfield conditions, including during periods of very cold temperatures and possible snow. Crews recently began weekly coordinated snow-removal practice runs and are prepared to remove snow from the runways when needed.