As temperatures fall and winter approaches, the Bellevue City Council on Monday reviewed city efforts to prepare for and respond to harsh weather.

Topics included wind, rain and snow storms, power outages and flooding. Staff from the Utilities Department, which is primarily responsible for managing weather-related impacts, described monitoring, preparation, response and recovery plans.

Bellevue’s steep terrain includes a 1,400-foot elevation range from Lake Washington to Cougar Mountain – the most of any city in the area – and presents particular challenges when it comes to snow and ice on the roads, officials say.

As part of a public outreach effort to share information about its ice and snow program, the Bellevue will host three open houses in partnership with AAA Washington. There will be written materials, displays, free ice scrapers and staff on hand to answer questions. The meetings take place from 5 to 7 p.m. on the following dates:

Nov. 5 at Somerset Elementary School Library, 14100 Somerset Blvd. S.E.

Nov. 19 at Lewis Creek Park Visitor Center, 5808 Lakemont Blvd.

Bellevue is again taking part in a state and national campaign called “Ice and Snow, Take it Slow,” an effort to raise awareness about driving safely under poor road conditions.

For further information about preparations and responses to severe weather, visit the city website www.bellevuewa.gov and click on the orange and blue “Extreme Weather Response” button on the right side of the page. In addition to a Snow/Ice page with driving tips and a snow response priorities map, the web pages cover topics such as power outages, storm debris and garbage collection, and important phone numbers.