6 PM, Monday, February 8
We have NOT called a snow emergency for tonight or during the day tomorrow.
We will likely be declaring a snow emergency for Tuesday evening beginning at 9:00 PM. We have not officially announced it yet. We intend a formal declaration before noon Tuesday.
Even though we did not declare a snow emergency for tonight, we will be out on the arterial (main) streets plowing and salting. Tonight we will be plowing with 30 plows on arterial streets so that they are in good driving shape. These are all the major traffic routes as well as emergency routes. Tomorrow during the day we will be able to concentrate on keeping arterial streets cleared as the storm diminishes. We are out plowing. Just because we have not declared an emergency does not mean we are not plowing and sanding.
It is important to note that Saint Paul is performing snow and ice control during every snow event. We were out all day today with plows and trucks keeping arterial (main) routes clear. The City declares a Snow Emergency when it is determined that it is necessary to plow all residential streets curb to curb and requires ALL cars to be moved. When a Snow Emergency is called, the City mobilizes 80 plow trucks for each of two shifts, snow taggers, plowing contractors, and towing contractors. Minneapolis has its own criteria for determining when to call a Snow emergency based on what works best for their city.
Our forecast agency predicts another 2-5 inches of snow with heaviest snow ending at 3am but continuing thru 1pm tomorrow, along with gusty winds into the afternoon. If we had declared tonight and the snow falls as predicted our arterial streets as well as the N/S residential that we plow will be in poor shape by morning as all of our resources would be dedicated to E/W residential streets. By waiting 24 hours to declare we feel that we will be able to provide a better service to our residents. We will be able to do a better quality plowing operation on the residential streets.
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GENERAL INFORMATION FOR SNOW EMERGENCIES
All snow emergencies start with Night Plow Routes at 9:00 P.M. on the day of the declared snow emergency.
Plowing begins on Night Plow Routes at 9:00 P.M. and continues through the night into the morning until the snow is plowed to the curb.
Parking is banned on these routes until snow is plowed all the way to the curb. This plowing operation takes 8 to 12 hours to complete depending on the amount of snow. Night Plow Routes are typically the busy streets -- marked with signs that say "NIGHT PLOW ROUTE" -- plus one side of north-south residential streets with signs that say "NIGHT PLOW ROUTE THIS SIDE OF STREET." All downtown streets are on the night plow route.
Look for these signs
Day Plow Routes begin the following morning. There are
no signs on Day Plow Routes. Plowing starts after the night routes are plowed, which is
typically around 8:00 A.M.
Parking is banned on these routes until snow is plowed all the way to the curb. The Day Plow Routes are the east-west residential streets
PLUS one side of north-south residential streets -- the side
WITHOUT the plowing signs. There are some exceptions to these rules but they are all well marked.
The tagging and towing continues for 96 hours after the snow emergency has begun.
For 24-hour Snow Emergency information call (651)-266-PLOW) (7569) or (651)-292-6600.
Sign Up for Snow Emergency Notification
If you would like to get an email notification or text message alert of the next Snow Emergency, sign for SnowAlert. You can also follow us on Twitter for snow emergency information.
Other snow emergency information sources.
If you're going across the river, you may want to check
Minneapolis to see if there's a Snow Emergency in effect.
Other Snow Removal
The City of Saint Paul does not plow, sand or salt alley rights-of-way. Saint Paul residents usually group together with their neighbors and contract with a private plow operator to keep their alley free of snow.
Remember to remove snow from sidewalks and street corners within 24 hours after snow and/or ice has ceased to fall, gather, or accumulate.
Snow Shoveling Complaints
Snow and Ice Sidewalk Code
Licensed Business -- Removal of Snow and Ice Chapter 114
