Chelmsford Declares Parking Ban As Snow Hits

CHELMSFORD, MA — Tis the season: Chelmsford has issued an emergency parking ban as the snow began to fall Tuesday.

"A parking ban will be in effect from 12:00 pm, February 9, 2021 through 12:00 pm February 10, 2021. Please remove all vehicles from roadways to assist in plow operations," said Chelmsford Highway Superintendent Larry Ferreira.

Snow is expected to start falling late Tuesday morning and much of the region is expected to get between 3 and 7 inches of snow, with Chelmsford on the lower end of that, according to the National Weather Service.

This article will be updated with all the pertinent information in one place.

What to know

Snow emergency: The town has not yet called an emergency. We will update that if it changes.

Generally, the Public Works director calls a "snow emergency" when excessive amounts of snow are predicted. All cars are required to be removed from all roadways to allow for a better clearing job.

During a parking ban, there is no on-street parking permitted. Instead, officials ask that you park in municipal and school parking lots — or risk getting towed.

Trash collection: The town asks that you watch where you place your trash and recycling barrels, so they don't get knocked over by plows.

Schools: Schools have not yet been canceled. We will update here if this changes.

Generally, the school superintendent confers with the Public Works director about the road conditions and takes into consideration distances teachers have to come to get to school.

Other key info:

• Emergencies should be reported by calling 911.
• Questions or concerns about snow removal rules? call 978-856-6707 or email snowconcerns@TownofChelmsford.us
• VERIZON: To Report Service Related Issues: 1-800-VERIZON (1-800-837-4966) at www.verizon.com/outage

What's the Weather Service Say?

(Updated at 12:30 Tuesday)

Tuesday — Snow showers, mainly before 5pm. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 27. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible.

Tuesday night — A chance of snow showers before 7pm. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 15. Northwest wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Wednesday —Sunny, with a high near 30. Northwest wind 7 to 9 mph.

Wednesday Night —Mostly cloudy, with a low around 12. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Got a cancellation? Got a storm photo? Send it to me at Jenna.Fisher@Patch.com.