Brainerd declares snow emergency

BRAINERD — The city of Brainerd declared a snow emergency effective Thursday, Feb. 23.

Snowplowing will commence at 4 a.m. on Thursday, and parking will be prohibited on all snow emergency routes.

Plowing of snow emergency routes and other high priority routes will take place Thursday during the storm if conditions allow and driver safety can be maintained.

On Friday, Feb. 24, the first day of parking restrictions, there is no parking on the following streets:

• All snow emergency routes.
• All north-south streets or streets that generally run north-south.
• All streets west of the Mississippi River.
• All streets south of Wright Street.

On Saturday, Feb. 25, the second day of parking restrictions, there is no parking on the following streets:

• All snow emergency routes.
• All east-west streets or streets that generally run east-west.

City staff will plow the entire city on Friday, with clean up on east-west streets beginning Saturday.
Vehicles parked on an east-west street on Friday or streets identified for Day 2 parking restrictions on the snow emergency maps will be plowed around.

Cars parked on snow emergency routes will be ticketed and towed immediately.

Parking is banned on all other city streets the day they are scheduled to be plowed until they have been plowed from curb to curb. All vehicles plowed around will be issued a $25 parking citation. Vehicles that are not moved within 48 hours of being plowed around will be towed at the owner’s expense.

Visit ci.brainerd.mn.us/182/Snow-Emergencies to see snow emergency maps.

Snow removal in the downtown special services district will take place as crews are able Thursday during or shortly following the heaviest of snowfall. Snow will be windrowed in the middle of the streets until they are able to be removed on Friday.

Street, sidewalk and parking lot snow clearing and removal will begin at 3 a.m. Friday. Parking will be banned on the following streets:

• Front Street between South Sixth and Eighth streets.
• Laurel Street between South Sixth and Eighth streets.
• South Seventh Street between Maple and Front streets.

Generally, the snow removal on Thursday will take place beginning on the streets and sidewalks first, followed by the parking lots.
Parking is banned on streets until they have been plowed in their entirety and the snow has been removed. Once snow has been removed from the block, vehicles can use the on-street parking. All vehicles parked during this restriction will be ticketed and towed at the owner’s expense.

As of Wednesday afternoon, southern Aitkin, southern Cass, Crow Wing and Wadena counties remained in a winter storm warning through 6 p.m. Thursday, with 4-7 inches of snow possible, along with wind gusts up to 40 mph and wind chills as low as 25 degrees below zero. The winter storm, with blowing snow creating reduced visibility, could create hazardous travel conditions Wednesday night and Thursday morning, the National Weather Service in Duluth reported.

Mille Lacs, Morrison and Todd counties also are in a winter storm watch until 6 p.m. Thursday, with 9-14 inches of snow possible.

However, Aitkin, southern Cass and Crow Wing counties were also listed in an area of uncertainty, according to the National Weather Service in Duluth, and could receive more snow than forecast depending on how the storm tracks though central Minnesota.

Snowfall is expected to leave the area Thursday afternoon but the frigid air will not. The weather service reported dangerous wind chills will stay in place through Friday, with wind chills as low as 20-35 degrees below zero possible. Wind chill advisories will be likely, the weather service reported.

The actual temperature during the day Thursday is expected to be 5 degrees, the low Thursday night 15 degrees below, the high Friday 8 degrees and the low Friday night 3 degrees below zero. A warmup is expected over the weekend, with high temperatures of 22 degrees Saturday, 35 degrees Sunday and 35 degrees Monday.