There is snow in the forecast for later in the day on Tuesday – and it’s likely to begin falling during the afternoon commute. King County Metro Transit is warning that situation could create very different morning and afternoon travel conditions for bus riders.

Transit users should plan ahead for afternoon and evening trips that could be disrupted, delayed, reduced, or on snow routing, transit officials say. Even though weather in the morning may be clear, they advise to leave from a bus stop or park-and-ride that also has service when buses are on snow routes in case travel conditions deteriorate by the afternoon commute.

Also, riders should give themselves extra time to reach their evening destination. Buses are often very crowded in the early part of the afternoon commute when everyone tries to get home before snowfall is the heaviest.

Metro is urging bus riders to prepare by making sure they are signed up for Transit Alerts and know the snow routing for the buses they will ride tomorrow.

Riders can check here for the most current status of Metro service. Updates to the online information begin as early as 4 a.m. and continue as needed until the storm is over.

Tuesday’s forecast could create challenges for all vehicles, especially if the snow begins to fall during the afternoon commute. Bus operations could change rapidly.

Here are some tips for bus travel if it does snow:

• Know the snow routing for your bus route. Check the timetables here for snow route maps for each route. Not every bus route has snow routing, but most do;

• When buses are on snow routing, some streets and bus stops may be missed and there are often delays due to travel conditions. There is new snow routing in many areas that is different from past years, so riders should check the snow routes for all the routes they use most often;

• Metro is using a new online color-coded map to keep riders informed of the status of its bus service, which can be found online here. All bus routes are assigned into one or more of seven geographic areas within King County. When there is snow or ice on the roads, the service status of each area will be color coded and displayed on the online map. Green indicates buses are operating on normal routes; yellow that some – but not all – routes in the area are on snow routes (primarily in higher elevation areas); and red tells you that all bus routes in the entire geographic area are on snow routing;

• People without online access can call the Customer Information Office at 206-553-3000. General information about service will also be sent out via the kcmetrobus Twitter account;

• Be patient. Buses are not always on schedule in snowy or icy conditions. And, increased ridership during bad weather can result in crowded buses and a longer-than-usual wait on the phone for the Customer Information Office;

• Dress warmly for the walk to the bus stop, expect delays, and wear appropriate footwear for the weather;

• Head for bus stops on main arterials or at major transfer points such as park-and-ride lots, transit centers, or shopping centers; and

• Riders should wait at bus stops at the very top or very bottom of hills, because buses are often unable to stop for passengers on inclines.