Refresher: Snow Emergency Procedures in Somerville

Note: This article was originally posted in anticipation of the February, 2013, blizzard, but the information is relevant to any snow emergency in the city.

As of Thursday morning, Somerville had not yet declared a snow emergency in anticipation of what the National Weather Service was calling "a potential historic winter snow storm and blizzard" that was expected to hit the Somerville area Friday and Saturday.

That said, it seems a snow emergency is likely.

You can find information about what to do in a Somerville snow emergency here.

Here's a summary of the main points:

What to do in a snow emergency

• Move your car: You have four hours to move your car after a snow emergency is declared.
• Move your car to an odd-numbered side of the street: Cars parked on even-numbered sides of the street will be ticketed and towed.
• Move your car to a snow-emergency parking lot: If you can't find a spot on the street, move it to a designated parking lot. See below for information about where those lots are.

Finding out if a snow emergency is declared

• Call (617) 628-SNOW (7669)
• Sign up for email and telephone alerts
• Check Facebook: 311Somerville, City of Somerville 
• Check Twitter: 311Somerville, City of Somerville 
• Watch TV: Channel 16 on Comcast, Channel 13 on RCN
• Somerville police will drive around the city making announcements from their cars
• Blue flashing lights will be activated at major intersections leading into the city

Where are snow emergency parking lots?

Here's a map of the parking lots listed below.

• Argenziano School (290 Washington Street)
• Capuano Early Childhood Center (150 Glen Street)
• Kennedy School (5 Cherry Street)
• SCAT Municipal Lot, Kiley Barrel Municipal Lot (Union Square)
• Cummings School (42 Prescott Street)
• Healey School (5 Meacham Street)
• Brown School (201 Willow Avenue)
• West Somerville Neighborhood School (177 Powder House Boulevard)
• Winter Hill Community School (115 Sycamore Street)
• City Hall Concourse (93 Highland Avenue)
• Central Library (79 Highland Avenue)
• West Branch Library (40 College Avenue)
• Beuna Vista Lot Buena Vista Road (via Holland St. or Meacham Rd.)
• Day Street Lot (Day Street)
• 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")
• Cutter Square Lot (Elm St./Summer St. at Cutter Ave)
• Magoun Square Lot (Broadway at Medford Street)
• Winter Hill Lot A (Broadway, north side between Fellsway West and Wheatland St.)
• Winter Hiil Lot B (Broadway, north side between Wheatland St. Grand St.)
• Union Square Lot (Off Washington St., entrance at Washington St./Bonner Ave.)
• Prospect St. Lot (Prospect St. at Somerville Ave./Washington St.)
• Mount Vernon St. Lot (Broadway between Mount Vernon St. and Mt. Pleasant St.)
• Foss Park Lot (Foss Park at Broadway)
• Veterans Memorial Skating Rink (rear of 581 Somerville Ave.)

What if I get towed?

• Call Pats Towing at (617) 776-5810
• Fines during a snow emergency: Failure to move car to proper side of street—$100; Tow zone/obstructing snow plow—$100; parking within 10 feet of hydrant/designated fire lane—$100; parking within 20 feet of an intersection—$100.

After the snow emergency

• Remove your car from a snow emergency lot two hours after the snow emergency is lifted.
• Clear snow off your car that's parked on the street. Parking enforcement officers will begin normal ticketing duties 24 hours after the snow emergency. If they can't see your residential parking sticker through the snow, you'll get a ticket.

Homeowners

• You have six daylight hours after the snow emergency to shovel your sidewalks and use salt and sand where necessary.