Common Council

Snow Emergency 1/18/2020

Citywide plowing will begin at 10:00 a.m. on January 18. A snow emergency will be in effect tonight.

This will be a daytime plowing operation that will last through the day and into the night. Please choose off-street parking options throughout the day and evening today to assist with these operations.

Since a snow emergency will be in effect tonight, alternate side parking rules will be enforced throughout the entire city during the overnight hours. For more information on winter parking, visit the City of Madison winter website, www.cityofmadison.com/winter.

Typically, citywide plowing operations take 12 to 16 hours before every street receives their initial plowing. If you encounter a plow truck on the roads, please give them the space they need to do their work safely.

Also, it is common to encounter temporary mounds of snow across intersections. This is a normal part of plowing as trucks loop through neighborhoods trying to push snow back to the curb on all city streets.

Streets Division plows have been circling through the salt routes since the storm began yesterday evening. Crews will remain on the salt routes until they are in good winter driving condition. Including the salt route trucks, and other equipment from the Streets Division, Parks Division, Engineering Division, and heavy equipment contractors, approximately 150 pieces of equipment will be out plowing the roads, bus pads, and other city-maintained areas once the citywide plowing gets underway.

Commuting through the city on Saturday will be difficult, so residents must make good choices if they elect to be on the roads. Not only is this winter event due to linger through the morning, many roads - particularly residential streets - will have snow on them from last night's storm. Winds are expected to increase throughout the day as well, meaning outlying areas of Madison may experience blowing and drifting snow.

If you must be on the roads, give yourself plenty of time to get to your destinations. Be slow. Be alert. Be patient.

After streets that do not receive salt have been plowed, there will be a thin, tightly compacted layer of snow still left on the roads. This is normal. Plow trucks cannot push down to the road surface. Roads that are salted are often clear to the pavement (depending on temperatures) while non-salted streets have the layer of snow. Sand will be applied later to help with traction on residential streets.

Temperatures are forecast to drop significantly behind this snow storm. In an effort for homeowners to conserve salt use, it is recommended to shovel the sidewalks and driveways before it freezes in place. Getting to the snow before it has a chance to freeze decreases the need to spread salt on the sidewalks, driveways, and parking lots. More information about salt use can be found at www.cityofmadison.com/winter.

Streets Division staff will continue monitoring the roads and the weather. Adjustments to operations will occur as conditions change and future updates will be provided.