Madison city officials declared a snow emergency Sunday in anticipation of heavy snowfall and below-zero temperatures expected in the coming week.
The snow emergency, in effect until Tuesday morning, comes as weather experts predict up to a foot of snow will fall Sunday night to Monday morning. As a result, all cars parked on the street in the snow emergency zone will have to park on the even-numbered side of the street Sunday night or risk towing.
Speaking to the press Sunday, Madison Mayor Paul Soglin urged all city residents to move their cars completely off of the streets if possible to allow for quick and efficient plowing. He also warned that city services would not be able to function at full strength, though emergency services, snow removal and the bus system will remain operational.
“These are extremely dangerous conditions,” Soglin said. “Functioning normal in terms of city services, that’s not going to happen.”
The city will also not be collecting trash or recycling Monday and has suspended large item collection for the entire week, according to Streets Division Superintendent Charlie Romines. He also cautioned the low temperatures would make clearing the streets a much more difficult task.
“With the very cold temperatures, salt will not be an option for us,” he said. “We anticipate ... for the first time in a number of years, we're going to have to do some major snow hauling from the downtown area.”
Though emergency services will be available, Madison Police Department Chief Mike Koval said his department will only offer “limited or diminished services,” meaning officers will only respond to accidents involving personal injury or blockages of major intersections. He also warned response times would be slower as all police cars will have chains put on their tires.
Though many services will be paused or limited, Madison Fire Department Chief Steven Davis said two additional ambulances will be on call Monday.
Metro Transit General Manager Chuck Kamp said if Madison schools were closed Monday, more buses would be available to transport the homeless to shelters, as well as act as warming stations. The Madison Metropolitan School District later announced they would not hold classes due to the storm.
Dane County Executive Joe Parisi announced via Twitter that county offices, including the courthouse, would be closed Monday, though emergency and essential services would continue to operate.
