(Photo by Susan Grossman, Singing Pixel Photography — Sunday afternoon squall)

(Photo by David Hutchinson, also taken Sunday afternoon)
Regardless of whether we see snow or not, forecasters are adamant it’s going to get cold, with lows in the metro area tonight at freezing or below, for starters. Then here’s what the National Weather Service says about tomorrow:

MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS IN THE MORNING…THEN SNOW SHOWERS LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON. SNOW ACCUMULATION UP TO 1 INCH…EXCEPT LOCALLY UP TO 2 INCHES IN HEAVIER SHOWERS. HIGHS IN THE MID 30S TO LOWER 40S. NORTH WIND 10 TO 15 MPH.

And after THAT – Monday night’s lows are expected in the “teens to low 20s.” Wondering what famous forecaster Cliff Mass says? In a post published less than half an hour ago, he begins, “This is really quite extraordinary. We could actually get more snow tomorrow.” So, facing these prospects, Metro has sent another “here’s what we’re getting ready for” alert — read on:

Full text of Metro’s news release:

March Madness doesn’t only apply to college basketball. It also describes the kind of weather experienced in King County this weekend – a wintry pattern that could continue into Monday and Tuesday and disrupt Metro Transit bus service.

Metro was able to maintain regular bus service throughout the weekend with a minimal number of reroutes and delays despite a series of snow squalls across the county. Looking ahead to Monday morning, Metro is preparing its buses for a variety of driving conditions and cautions bus riders to also be ready for changing weather.

A limited number of buses will be chained up tonight at each of Metro’s seven bases in case there are snowy roads early on Monday. That will give crews some time to chain more buses or remove them if the weather permits to speed up service. Based on this weekend’s weather, it is likely that it could be snowy or icy in one area of the county and not in another. The variable conditions could still slow bus service, because some Metro routes travel through several neighborhoods in a single trip. And, buses that have chains must travel at speeds below 35 mph, even on cleared roadways.

Bus passengers should be aware Metro service might be revised at any time Monday due to quickly changing weather and road conditions. Also, there could be delays throughout the system if travel conditions are bad in multiple areas.

If roads become impassable, buses may be put on snow routes. Check paper or online timetables for the adverse weather routing for your bus route. If the weather does not stabilize throughout the day tomorrow, it is possible that some buses could be chained up for Monday afternoon’s commute as well.

Here are a few reminders for bus riders when the weather is cold and snowy:

* If the roads are snowy or icy in your neighborhood or where you want to travel, expect transit delays and possible reroutes away from hills and iced-over roads;
* Head for bus stops on main arterials or at major transfer points such as park-and-ride lots, transit centers, or shopping centers;
* 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;
* Dress warmly and wear appropriate footwear for the walk to the bus stop and for possible longer waits for buses; and
* Please be patient. Buses are not always on schedule in snowy or icy conditions. That is why it is difficult to post real-time bus information on the Metro website. 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.

As route-specific information about delays and disruptions becomes available, it will be posted on Metro Online. Look for the link to the adverse weather information at the top center of the page. The Metro Customer Information Office offers 24/7 telephone service at (206) 553-3000.

Metro also has two new tools for sharing information about service disruptions. There is a new King County blog (www.kingcounty.gov/kcnews) and a Twitter account (www.twitter.com/kcnews) to both receive and share information about the travel conditions and bus service in your neighborhood.

As always, we’ll be here to report and share weather and transportation news if it’s a snowy, icy commute, so let us know what you’re seeing too – keep the WSB 24/7 line 206-293-6302 handy for whenever you’re away from a keyboard. 11:48 PM UPDATE: Some snow reports starting to come in from both west and east West Seattle.