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Getting ready for the storm

Transit agencies are grearing up to handle the snow that's predicted to hit the Puget Sound region this evening
Erin Hennessey
/
KPLU News
Transit agencies are grearing up to handle the snow that's predicted to hit the Puget Sound region this evening

With frigid temperatures and up to six inches of snow bearing down on the Puget Sound region, transit agencies are getting ready.

The latest forecast says the snow is likely to arrive a little later than previously thought. That means evening commuters may escape the brunt of the blast.

Tom Pearce -- with Snohomish Community Transit -- says its buses are operating on regular routes, for now …

"We intend to do so for as long as weather conditions allow," he says. "We do expect freezing temperatures to arrive in the early evening hours which would create icy conditions, and that could cause delays throughout the system."

 Snow has been falling on and off all day in Tacoma and other areas of Pierce County. Lind Simonsen with Pierce Transit says that’s led officials there to play it safe and put the whole system on snow routes until at least tomorrow morning.

"If nothing else it's going to be very cold tonight, so we'll have icy streets in the morning."

King County Metro Transit has brought in extra workers and is prepared to put tire chains on buses and activate snow routes, if necessary.

Bus riders are advised tosign up online for transit advisories to stay on top of changing conditions.     

Liam Moriarty started with KPLU in 1996 as our freelance correspondent in the San Juan Islands. He’s been our full-time Environment Reporter since November, 2006. In between, Liam was News Director at Jefferson Public Radio in Ashland, Oregon for three years and reported for a variety of radio, print and web news sources in the Northwest. He's covered a wide range of environment issues, from timber, salmon and orcas to oil spills, land use and global warming. Liam is an avid sea kayaker, cyclist and martial artist.