Somerville Declares Snow Emergency Effective December 16

Press release from the City of Somerville:

December 16, 2020

• Move vehicles to even-numbered side of street by 10 p.m. to avoid ticketing and towing
• Parking is also allowed in municipal lots (but not in school lots)
• Open Thursday: City remote services
• Closed Thursday: Grab and Go meal sites, Covid-19 testing, library curbside services, all City and School buildings, rinks, pool
• Trash/Recycling pickup delayed by one day starting Thursday

Based on current weather forecasts, the City is declaring a snow emergency to go into effect at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, December 16. Beginning at 6 p.m., cars will have 4 hours (until 10 p.m.) to move to the EVEN side of the street (unless signage on your streets says otherwise). Any exceptions will be noted by nearby signs. Moving cars to one side makes room for plows and emergency vehicles, so thank you for doing your part.

Municipal parking lots are also available for snow emergency parking. For a full list of available City-owned parking lots, visit www.somervillema.gov/snow. School parking lots are not available for parking during snow emergencies and gates will be locked at 10 p.m.Wednesday. To avoid having your vehicle locked in a school lot, ticketed, and towed, be sure to vacate all lots before 10 p.m.

Bike lanes and cycle tracks will be plowed as part of our snow removal; however, they may have snow or ice buildup for the duration of the storm and for the hours immediately afterward. Please use caution when riding a bike and consider using other modes of transportation if you must travel.

Open/Closed Services:

• Open Thursday:
  • Remote City services will remain available
  • School remote learning will continue as scheduled.
• Delayed:
  • Trash pickup will be delayed by one day starting Thursday (put Thursday waste out on Friday, Friday waste out on Saturday)
• Closed Thursday:
  • All City and School buildings
  • Grab and Go meals distribution (extra meals have been offered in advance of the storm)
  • Library curbside services
  • All Community Schools programming
  • CHA Covid-19 testing site at Assembly
  • Ice rink and Kennedy pool

For more information, please visit www.somervillema.gov/snow or contact 311.

General Snow Emergency Information

Sidewalk Shoveling: To ensure safe passage for all, property owners are responsible for removing snow and ice from sidewalks abutting their property within 6 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 snow storm 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 odd-side parking this season): Parking on a limited number of streets have odd side parking during snow emergencies always. Typically these are one-way streets where year-round parking is only allowed on the odd 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 at to receive emergency phone, email and/or text message alerts as well as important information for your neighborhood. Sign up for alerts at www.somervillema.gov/alerts or by calling 311 (617-666-3311 from cell phones or outside the city).

When are snow emergencies called? 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 use all available information to make an informed decision that takes into account forecasted snow accumulations, pavement temperatures, post-storm temperatures, existence of remaining snow from previous storms, and other factors.

How to stay informed about snow emergencies: Once a snow emergency has been declared, residents are notified via multiple lines of communication, including: City alerts, City Cable TV (Comcast Ch. 15 & 22, RCN Ch. 13, 15, & 613), local media (online, radio, print, TV, etc.), City social media including www.facebook.com/SomervilleCity, www.facebook.com/311Somerville, Twitter @SomervilleCity and @311Somerville, the City website www.somervillema.gov, and flashing blue lights activated at 22 key intersections in the City (when lights are flashing, a snow emergency is in effect).

This press release was produced by the City of Somerville. The views expressed here are the author’s own.