(CLICK HERE TO JUMP TO THE NEWEST UPDATE; SCHOOL STATUS: SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, OPEN ON TIME, RUNNING REGULAR BUS ROUTES; VASHON SCHOOLS 2-HR DELAY FOR POWER OUTAGE)

ORIGINAL 4 AM POST: We’ll be on the live-update beat in the 5 am hour, but we’re setting this up sooner so you can start checking the latest commute and school info early, and sharing the situation where you’re at (watch out for the wind, which started to pick up after 2 am):

METRO ROUTE CHANGES: Before the snow began to melt in the wee hours, it had affected myriad bus routes. Go here for the latest list of changes.

TRAFFIC CAMS: All the cams of specific West Seattle interest (including routes out of/into WS) can be found on the WSB Traffic page.

LIVE 911 LOG: Check it here, just in case you hear a siren or see a fire/aid crew. (Remember, this site shows Fire Department responses only, not police.)

TRASH/YARD WASTE/ETC.: No updates from Seattle Public Utilities since the snow, so we’ll refer you to the story we published at midday Sunday.

5:54 AM UPDATE: Back live. Just finishing a phone conversation with a Seattle City Light spokesperson. They have no estimated time for restoration of this outage, nor any specific information so far on where it originated. As for schools – no word of any changes, so far, for Seattle Public Schools, per either online source. Here’s the latest Metro overview, saying “most” routes are normal this morning (use the link above to see whether yours is among the exceptions).

6:05 AM UPDATE: As “Cheeky” points out in comments, Seattle Public Schools just updated its homepage to say “All Seattle Public Schools will open on time today, Monday, January 5, and buses will operate on regular routes.” Wait! Power just came back on! (6:07 am)

6:21 AM UPDATE: Co-publisher Patrick is going out to see if any outage pockets remain. A couple reports of restored power have come in via Twitter, so we’re hopeful that means everyone is back on. Regarding buses – several West Seattle routes are listed in the latest Metro update on route changes – so check this list before you go. We have a road-condition report from Scott C, who commuted to Everett about an hour ago – 35th a little slushy, bridge OK, I-5 just fine. (Lou says the same thing in comments re: the drive to downtown.) One more school note – Vashon mentions a 2-hour delay, with the possibility that might change if power there remains out.

6:40 AM UPDATE: From SDOT, via Twitter: “SDOT has 20 plows clearing city streets. 3 dedicated to the WS Bridge and the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Roads in downtown in very good shape.” Patrick is just back from driving around the area and says it looks like the power is back on for everyone — if not for you, be sure City Light knows (684-3000) — but some stoplights haven’t returned to normal yet; 26th and Barton, by Westwood Village, for example, was “flashing red and yellow simultaneously,” he reports. Roads are slushy but drivable; the walkway outside your home may be your biggest troublespot, so keep that in mind.

7:35 AM UPDATE: Still watching the commute overall. No major problems, aside from the aforementioned bus reroutes. Our nearest arterial (California SW, south through Gatewood) is mostly bare and wet – quite a difference from previous post-snow situations, but then again, circumstances were different too – warmer temperatures, wetter snow. The latest forecast is resolute that temperatures will stay higher for quite some time, but also mentions breeziness today. Online note: WSDOT says via Twitter that its website is having trouble today because of a cooling problem in the server room.

7:51 AM UPDATE: Two notes: Marilyn Mar from City Light just called to say that not everybody’s back on — about 300 homes/businesses in West Seattle remain without power. Also, a trash truck just turned up in our neighborhood, on what you would consider a side street, so that could be a good omen for everyone expecting pickup today.

8:04 AM UPDATE: Medic/fire crews have just been dispatched to a “motor vehicle accident” call at West Marginal Way/Highland Park Way. Meanwhile, another arterial report: Brian at Stor-More Self-Storage (WSB sponsor) says Avalon’s “slush and blacktop” (they’re midway up the Avalon hill, at Yancy).

8:14 AM UPDATE: The Marginal/HP Way call has closed already, which at the very least indicates no serious injuries.

9:09 AM UPDATE: Streets near us are now mostly just puddled. Commute still fairly uneventful, though some scattered reports of bus delays. We’ll add word here if anything else major happens but otherwise, in 20 minutes we’ll be covering the City Council briefing about last month’s storm response, first of several. Today’s briefing — 9:30 am, you can watch live on cable or online via Seattle Channel — is described as follows:

An overview from Office of Emergency Management and Seattle Department of Transportation on the Storm Response, including information from the Seattle Fire Department and Seattle Police Department.