King County Metro Transit is closely monitoring road conditions throughout the region Friday, and preparing its buses to deal with a variety of driving conditions.

As the morning commute progresses, most bus routes are operating normally and on schedule. Buses on the Eastside and in outlying areas are a little slower to return to normal routes.

Metro crews will be watching weather reports carefully to prepare buses for the afternoon commute, but at this time expect normal conditions.

If snow begins falling again, or roads ice up, Metro may have to reroute service -- or operate chained shuttles -- on some bus routes to bypass hazardous, hilly streets.

Snow reroute information is available in timetables with the snowflake symbol on the front. Those timetables are also available on Metro Online or by calling Metro's rider information line, (206) 553-3000 (voice) or (206) 684-1739 (TTY). There will be a high volume of calls, so expect the phone lines to be very busy.

Many buses may also be running late because of weather-related traffic backups throughout the region. Passengers are advised to dress warmly and be patient.