As much as 3 inches of snow is predicted to fall beginning early Wednesday afternoon, likely affecting the evening commute but not bringing the ice that came with last week's winter storm.

Cold air coming from east of the Cascades is set to collide with a system of moisture traveling north from southern Oregon, Matthew Cullen, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said Tuesday morning. The metro area should expect 1 to 3 inches of snow and gusty winds, he said.

In short: Getting to school or work should be business as usual, but conditions on the way home could be dicey. Snow will take longer to melt, too, said weather service meteorologist Miles Higa. Forecasters predict daytime highs will stay near freezing through Saturday.

Live at the National Weather Service Portland We're live at the National Weather Service Portland office with meteorologist Matthew Cullen getting the latest on the weather. #pdxtst US National Weather Service Portland Oregon Posted by The Oregonian on Tuesday, December 13, 2016

The Portland Bureau of Transportation advised people to be prepared for potentially treacherous evening commute conditions, and TriMet said riders should expect delays "if conditions worsen." The metro area will be under a wind advisory from midnight Tuesday to 8 p.m. Wednesday and a winter weather advisory from 11 a.m. to midnight.

Meanwhile, the weather service has issued winter storm warnings for the north Oregon Cascades and foothills, Cascades in Lane County, Upper Hood River Valley and central and western Columbia River Gorge. It has also issued winter weather advisories affecting Eugene, Salem and Vancouver, among other areas.

By the numbers:

Thursday through Saturday, Portland Bureau of Transportation workers did the following:

Covered plow routes totaling 1,120 lane miles with a separate 260 lane miles of anti-icing; each route was plowed or anti-iced many times

Handled 687 phone calls and created 426 service requests, almost entirely for downed trees

Used at least $16,000 in materials; labor costs are still being tallied.

Work continues to clear the

as quickly and safely as possible.

-- Portland Bureau of Transportation

Higa said the western Columbia River Gorge -- from Portland to Cascade Locks -- could see 3 to 6 inches of snow. The Hood River area could see 4 to 7.

Areas in the southern Willamette Valley could see ice, however. Forecasters say up to 4 inches of snow, mixed with sleet and freezing rain, are possible near the cities of Eugene, Springfield, Corvallis, Albany and Lebanon. Up to a quarter-inch of ice could accumulate in those areas. The average will be around one-tenth of an inch, Higa said.

In the Salem area, people could see snow a little after sunrise Wednesday with 2 to 4 inches possible, and more in areas east of the city.

The Oregon Department of Transportation said snow and freezing temperatures could result in hazardous conditions for highway travelers in the Portland area and gorge.

"Remember, in severe winter conditions, the safest move is to stay off the road," the agency said in a news release.

Visit OregonLive.com/weather for an hourly weather breakdown and the five-day forecast.

-- Tony Hernandez and Jim Ryan

thernandez@oregonian.com; jryan@oregonian.com