What To Know About The Snow In Somerville

SOMERVILLE, MA — Just when you thought 2020 might let you out, it snows you back in.

With more than a foot of snow possible in the Somerville area overnight Wednesday, here are some things to know about how the snow might affect you once you are all stocked up on milk, bread and maybe a few warm, holiday treats.

Schools Remote

School remote learning will continue as scheduled Thursday and Friday.

Snow Emergency Declared

The city declared a snow emergency effective 6 p.m. Wednesday. Cars will have until 10 p.m. to move to the even side of the street, unless signs indicate otherwise. Moving cars to one side makes room for plows and emergency vehicles.

Municipal parking lots are also available for snow emergency parking. School parking lots are not available for parking during snow emergencies and gates will be locked at 10 p.m. Wednesday.

Off-Street Lots:

Municipal Buildings

• Central Library (79 Highland Ave.)
• City Hall Concourse (93 Highland Ave. Please note: Parking capacity is reduced due to High School construction)
• All metered municipal parking lots

Municipal Parking Lots

• Buena Vista Lot, Buena Vista Road (via Holland St. or Meacham Rd.)
• Cutter Square Lot (Elm St./Summer St. at Cutter Ave.)
• Day Street Lot (Day St.)
• Dilboy Pool Lot (110 Alewife Brook Pkwy.)
• Foss Park Lot (Foss Park at Broadway)
• Grove Street Lot A (Grove St. at Highland Ave., referred to as "Rite Aid Lot")
• Grove Street Lot B (Grove St. east side, between Highland Ave. & Elm St., "Grove Street Lot")
• Magoun Square Lot (Broadway at Medford St.)
• Mount Vernon St. Lot (Broadway between Mount Vernon St. and Mt. Pleasant St.)
• Union Square Lot (Off Washington St., entrance at Washington St./Bonner Ave.)
• Veterans Memorial Skating Rink (rear - 581 Somerville Ave.)
• Winter Hill Lot A (Broadway, north side between Fellsway West and Wheatland St.)
• Winter Hill Lot B (Broadway, north side)

All cars in city lots 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 if you are unable to move your car out of a city lot at potentially short notice, consider finding alternate parking.

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

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 restrict access. This regulation is enforced as needed and is especially important to adhere to on narrower streets.

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Snow Removal

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.

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. To sign up for future storms, contact the Council on Aging at 617-625-6600 x2300.

Trash/Recycling Delayed

Trash and recycling pickup will be delayed by one day for the rest of the week. If your normal trash day is Thursday, it will be picked up on Friday this week. If your trash day is Friday, it will be picked up on Saturday.

Street sweeping is suspended through the end of the year. It is Somerville's policy to end the winter street sweeping season with the first snow emergency.

Additional Closures

• 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

How Much Snow Will We Get?

Snow will start falling across Massachusetts between 7 and 11 p.m. Wednesday, and by the time it ends midday Thursday, most parts of the state will have been blanketed with 8 to 14 inches, according to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service in Boston.

Snow will be light and fluffy in most parts of the state, but it could be heavier and wetter in southeastern Massachusetts and on Cape Cod.

Cape Cod will see lower snowfall totals than the rest of the state, with rain mixing in with the snow early Thursday morning. Wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour mean several parts of Massachusetts could see blizzard conditions.

Snowfall will be heaviest between midnight and 8 a.m. Thursday. The snow will stop between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Thursday as the storm moves from west to east across Massachusetts.

(Anyone with fun, socially distanced snow photos can send them to alex.newman@patch.com for possible publication. Please include permission for Patch to publish the photos.)

Check back with Somerville Patch for updates on how the snowstorm will impact your community.

>>>See Also: MA Snowstorm: Road Cleanup Could Take Longer Than Usual