Somerville Declares Snow Emergency

In accordance with the City’s Snow Emergency Procedures, Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone has declared a snow emergency for the City of Somerville to go into effect at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, January 3. Residents can begin moving their cars now to the ODD-numbered side of the street (unless signs posted on your street state otherwise).

Those unable to find parking on the correct side of the street may park in any municipal or school parking lot beginning at 8 p.m. Wednesday and may remain there for the duration of the emergency but must be moved within two hours of the end of the emergency. Please only move your car to a municipal lot if you have a flexible schedule and are able to move your car at any time with a two hour notice. Ticketing and towing will begin Wednesday at midnight for cars not moved to the ODD side of the street or to a municipal or school lot. Full snow emergency and snow removal policies may be found on the City’s website at www.somervillema.gov/snow.

On Thursday, All schools and libraries will be closed, School and Recreation activities, and All City and School offices will also be closed. Trash pickup is still scheduled for Thursday, however due to the storm timing, crews from Russell Disposal must begin trash pickup at 6:00 a.m Thursday. Please put your trash and recycling curbside this evening to ensure it is picked up.

Residents are also reminded that property owners are responsible for removing snow and ice from sidewalks abutting their property within 6 daylight hours of the end of snowfall. Because of expected dangerous, extreme cold over the next few days, snow is likely to freeze and will be harder to clear. If possible, consider shoveling as soon as you can. Review cold weather safety tips at www.somervillema.gov/coldweather.

Residents are encouraged to sign up for the City's alert system to receive notification by phone, email and/or text message in the event of emergencies or with important information for your neighborhood. Residents may also sign up for alerts by calling 311 (617-666-3311 from cell phones or outside the city). 

 Snow Emergency Policies:

A snow emergency may be declared whenever four or more inches of snow are predicted. City officials closely monitor storm forecasts through various means, and will use all available information to make an informed decision as swiftly as possible. Once a snow emergency has been declared, residents will be notified via multiple lines of communication, including:

Citywide alerts;

City Cable TV (Channel 22 for Comcast customers, Channel 13 for RCN customers) and Educational TV (Channel 15);

Local TV, radio and print media;

Postings on City social media feeds, including:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SomervilleCity; www.facebook.com/311Somerville

Twitter: @SomervilleCity; @311Somerville

City website: www.somervillema.gov

Flashing blue lights activated at 22 key intersections in the City (when lights are flashing, a snow emergency is in effect).

Parking Regulations During a Snow Emergency:

Once a snow emergency goes into effect, vehicle owners have four hours (unless otherwise noted) to move their vehicles to the ODD-numbered side of the street (unless signs posted on your streets state otherwise), or they may be ticketed and towed. Municipal and school lots will be made available at no cost to residents during snow emergencies. Please also note that cars parked within 20 feet of an intersection are also subject to ticket and towing. It is important that vehicles only be parked on one side of the street and at least 20 feet from an intersection as noted above to ensure plows can make all roads accessible and safe, particularly for emergency vehicles.