All cars must be moved to the ODD side (unless otherwise posted) by Wednesday at 4 p.m. to avoid ticketing and towing.

City offices, Schools, and Libraries will be open as scheduled. Afterschool activities are canceled.

The City of Somerville has declared a snow emergency to go into effect at noon on Wednesday, March 21. There are some changes to parking rules for school lots for this particular snow emergency, so please read the following information carefully.

Beginning at noon on Wednesday, cars will have 4 hours to move to the ODD side of the street (unless signage on your street says otherwise).Residents may park in any metered or City parking lot starting at noon. Please note that because K-8 schools will be in session for a prescheduled half-day, those school lots may not be used for snow emergency parking until 1 p.m. However, Somerville High School will be in session for its normal full-day schedule, therefore the high school lots will not be available for snow emergency parking until 3 p.m.

If you do plan to park in a school lot tomorrow, please use caution as students, parents and staff may still be exiting. Somerville Police officers will be stationed at all schools during pickup time on Wednesday to assist with safety and traffic flow. Please only move your car to a school or 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 4 p.m. for cars not moved to the ODD-numbered side of the street or to a municipal or school lot. For a list and map of municipal and school lots, visit www.somervillema.gov/snow/off-street-parking. Full snow emergency and snow removal policies may be found on the City’s website at www.somervillema.gov/snow.

Again, all Somerville Public Schools will operate as originally scheduled on Wednesday. Afterschool activities are canceled. City and School offices will be open during normal business hours. Trash pickup will continue as scheduled.

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. Take necessary precautions to take breaks and stay warm and dry when shoveling – review cold weather safety tips atwww.somervillema.gov/coldweather.

Check on neighbors who may need assistance:

If you are able, please check on any neighbors who may need assistance including the elderly and persons with disabilities. Please remember they may need assistance not just during and after the storm but also beforehand to prepare and get necessary medication and supplies.

Residents are also 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 and less than one foot from the curb to ensure plows can make all roads accessible and safe, particularly for emergency vehicles.