Somerville Snowstorm: Snow Emergency Declared, School Canceled

SOMERVILLE, MA — Somerville has declared a snow emergency on Friday, Jan. 7, implementing parking restrictions and canceling school.

The area is expected to get 6-8 inches of snow and is under a winter storm warning, according to the National Weather Service.

Somerville's snow emergency will begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Cars will have until 11:30 p.m. to move to the odd side of the street, unless street signs indicate otherwise. Moving cars to one side makes room for plows and emergency vehicles. Residents may begin moving their cars to the odd-numbered side as early as they like, but must be moved by 11:30 p.m. to avoid ticketing and towing.

Municipal parking lots are also available for snow emergency parking. For a full list of available city-owned parking lots, visit somervillema.gov/snow. School parking lots are not available for parking during snow emergencies and gates will be locked at 11:30 p.m. Thursday.

To avoid having your vehicle locked in a school lot, ticketed, and towed, be sure to vacate all school lots before 11:30 p.m. Thursday. Residents who use city lots should note that all cars must be moved within two hours of the end of the emergency. Snow emergencies can be lifted at any time, including during work hours, so those who are unable to move their cars out of a city lot at potentially short notice should consider finding alternative parking.

Bike lanes and cycle tracks will be plowed as part of our snow removal, and specialized tractors will be deployed for this purpose. However, during and immediately after a storm, bike lanes may have ice and snow buildup, so use caution when riding a bike and consider other modes of transportation.

Open/Closed Services

• Open Friday:
  • Remote city services and city buildings
• On Schedule:
  • Trash pickup will remain on the usual schedule
  • Weekend school and recreation activities
• Closed or Canceled Friday:
  • All Schools, school buildings, and school offices
  • All Libraries
  • After-school and recreation activities
  • Ice rink and Kennedy pool
  • There will be no Christmas tree collection on Friday

Sidewalk Shoveling: To ensure safe passage for all, property owners are responsible for removing snow and ice from sidewalks abutting their property within six daylight hours of the end of snowfall.

Avoid Parking Within 20 Feet of an Intersection: To leave enough clearance for plows and emergency vehicles, cars parked within 20 feet of an intersection may be subject to ticketing and towing if they are deemed to be likely to restrict access. This regulation is enforced as needed and is especially important to adhere to on narrower streets.

Snow Shoveling Assistance: The Somerville Teen Shoveling program is a paid program for youth to shovel out seniors or persons with disabilities after a snowstorm in Somerville. Teens and homeowners are paired for the season. You must apply and be paired with teen shovelers well in advance of a storm. To enquire how to sign up for future storms, contact the Council on Aging at 617-625-6600 x2300.

Snow Emergency Parking Exceptions (why some streets have even-side parking this season): A limited number of streets always have even-side parking during snow emergencies. Typically, these are one-way streets where year-round parking is only allowed on the even side due to space constraints. In some cases, they are streets that have parking on both sides of the street but that have no buildings on one side of the street for the duration of the plow route. In these cases, parking may only be allowed on the side of the street with homes. Please check signs on your street.

Plan Ahead: In winter, it’s always good to plan ahead. Once an emergency is declared, you will have four hours to move your car, so if you are traveling or working, park on the correct side before you leave just in case moving your car in time could be difficult.
Driveway Use: If you have access to a driveway, please consider using it during snow emergencies, or even sharing it with a neighbor or friend.

City Alerts: Community members are encouraged to sign up for the City's alert system to receive emergency phone, email, and/or text message alerts as well as important information for your neighborhood. Sign up for alerts at somervillema.gov/alerts or by calling 311 (617-666-3311 from cell phones or outside the city).