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Snow emergency to begin 8 p.m., Jan. 11
The City of Hastings has declared a snow emergency to begin at 8 p.m., Thursday Jan. 11.
The snow emergency will continue through noon, Saturday Jan. 13, based on the latest winter weather forecast that predicts several inches of snow, as well as extremely cold temperatures.
No parking is allowed along snow emergency routes during the above timeframe to give snowplows room to work. Vehicles in violation of the snow emergency are subject to being ticketed or towed. The snow emergency routes include the downtown area.
While no parking is allowed on downtown streets during a snow emergency, downtown parking lots will remain open.
Snow routes are marked with signs along the street, and a full list can be found here.
According to City Code section 25-211, which was updated in 2019, snow must be cleared from sidewalks within 24 hours after the snow ends. When a snow emergency has been declared, snow must be removed within 24 hours after the end of the snow of the emergency.
City officials do the best we can when setting the times for the declaration of a snow emergency, but as we all know, the weather is hard to predict. We realize some Hastings residents have no place to park their vehicles except on a city street, and sometimes that street is a snow emergency route.
Vehicles can return to a snow emergency route after the snow has stopped and plows have cleared the entire street where the vehicle normally parks.
The City applies a mix of salt and sand to city streets during and after winter snow or ice storms to help keep roads safer for motorists. The salt mixes with the snow or ice to create a liquid solution that lowers the freezing temperature of the snow or ice on the road. That lower freezing temperature makes the street safer. The effectiveness of salt depends on many things including air, ground and pavement temperature; the amount of vehicular traffic and of course sunshine. Salt mixtures have proven to be effective down to temperatures of 15 degrees. We mix sand with our salt to help extend the salt. Plus sand helps breakup the snow or ice to get the liquid solution started. Sand is also helpful in improving traction.
Published Date: 01/11/2024