Less snowfall and above-freezing daytime temps mean no Snow Emergency in Minneapolis
More than 30 City plows have been working since the snow started falling last night to plow and treat Minneapolis streets. With only two to three inches of snowfall on average in Minneapolis and weather forecasts calling for above-freezing high temperatures in the next few days, it was decided it is not necessary for the City of Minneapolis to declare a Snow Emergency today. However, Public Works crews will continue to plow through the night and Thursday, first focusing on the main arterial streets and alleys, and then shifting to the residential side streets. Crews also started plowing all the alleys at noon today, and should be completed with those efforts by midnight.
Remember to shovel sidewalks and around your garbage carts
Sidewalks are a critical part of our city’s transportation system. That’s why it’s important for homeowners and businesses to keep their sidewalks shoveled. Minneapolis ordinance requires that property owners clear sidewalks at homes and duplexes within 24 hours after a snowfall. Property owners of apartment and commercial buildings are responsible for clearing the sidewalks within four daytime hours of a snowfall. For your own benefit and to let your neighbors who are walking, pushing strollers and using wheelchairs get around, please do your part.
Solid Waste & Recycling customers also need to make sure to shovel around their garbage cart and recycling bin the night before their collection day. Folks should clear a path 3 feet wide from their garbage cart and recycling bin to make sure their cart and bin can be moved freely.
Spreading the word about Snow Emergencies
When a Snow Emergency is declared in Minneapolis, parking restrictions take effect so crews can plow more than 1,000 miles of streets from curb to curb. That’s the equivalent of 3,200 “lane miles” of streets that need to be plowed—enough to plow a lane from Minneapolis to Anchorage, Alaska. Snow Emergencies are typically declared after significant snowfall and before 6 p.m. on any given day. Once declared, the Snow Emergency parking restrictions begin at 9 p.m.
Minneapolis offers residents, workers and visitors a number of tools to help people learn when Snow Emergencies are declared and what to do when they are. We’re advising drivers to put several of these tools to use, not just one or two. The more ways they have to learn about a Snow Emergency, the less likely they’ll be towed because they didn’t know one was declared.
- Call the hotline - By calling the automated 612-348-SNOW hotline, folks can find out if a Snow Emergency has been declared. The hotline will include information on parking restrictions that drivers need to follow to avoid tickets and tows. The hotline includes information in Spanish, Somali and Hmong.
- Check out the City’s website - Go to www.minneapolismn.gov/snow to find out whether a Snow Emergency has been declared and for a wealth of information on Snow Emergencies in many languages. Also, check out the street lookup, which lets you put in an address or a neighborhood to see where you can park during a Snow Emergency.
- Mail - Every fall, a Snow Emergency informational brochure is mailed to every household in Minneapolis.
- Phone alerts - Minneapolis uses a phone alert system to notify residents when Snow Emergencies are declared. It is an automated notification system that can place thousands of calls per hour. Go to Phone Alerts to add additional numbers beyond just your home number.
- Email alerts - You can sign up to get Snow Emergency alerts automatically emailed to you.
- The media - News releases are sent to the media so TV, radio stations and other news outlets can inform their viewers, listeners and readers that a Snow Emergency is in effect.
- On cable - Tune in to cable channels 14 and 79. These channels will have information in several languages when a Snow Emergency is declared.
- Facebook – “Like” Minneapolis Snow Emergency on Facebook.
- Twitter - If you have a Twitter account, just follow us. Both the Twitter and Facebook pages will tell fans and followers when a Snow Emergency is declared.
Non-English Snow Emergency information
Information on Snow Emergency is also available in other languages on the City’s website. If you know anyone who primarily speaks Spanish, Hmong, Somali, Oromo, Vietnamese or Lao, you can direct them to www.minneapolismn.gov/languages for information in their language on Snow Emergency and much more.
Published Feb. 29, 2012