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 weekend and next week.
At the moment, the National Weather Service forecasts temperatures to begin dropping Sunday, with possible overnight freezing temperatures Monday and Tuesday. 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.
City crews plowed snow from some south Bellevue streets above 500 feet in elevation Monday morning. But the bigger concern is that temperatures expected to dip into the 20s overnight will create icy conditions for the Tuesday morning commute and into Wednesday.
Drivers should be aware of water refreezing on city roads and take it slow, leaving plenty of distance to stop. Pedestrians are advised to wear shoes with good traction to avoid slipping on the ice.
In addition to falling temperatures, the forecast calls for the possibility of more snow overnight Monday, as well as the potential for significant snow and wind on Thursday. Forecasters will know more as the weather system moves into the area.
Staff from the Transportation, Utilities, Parks and Civic Services departments remain on standby. After spraying an anti-icer Sunday night on some roads prone to icing up, crews will monitor streets today and re-apply the solution if needed.
Responding to snow and ice can be challenging in Bellevue, where elevations vary from near sea level to more than 1,400 feet in the hills south of Interstate 90.
The city’s fleet of seven four-by-four vehicles and eight larger, five-yard capacity trucks is generally sufficient to plow snow at higher elevations. In the event of a citywide storm, however, priority routes used by emergency vehicles will take precedence over streets in residential neighborhoods. A snow response priority map shows which city streets will be plowed first. The focus is to do the most good for the most people.
