In a less than surprising forecast, meteorologists are predicting Madison’s first major snowfall of the year over the weekend, which some students might be disappointed to learn comes a day too late for the possibility of a snow day.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch Thursday afternoon, which included Dane County. The watch goes into effect from Friday evening through Saturday afternoon.
Meteorologists expect the heaviest snow to fall late Friday night into the early hours of Saturday morning, dwindling into Saturday afternoon.
The weather service is predicting a 100 percent chance of precipitation with snow accumulation from four to six inches. Snowfall will be mainly concentrated south and west of a line running from Wisconsin Dells to Madison and Lake Geneva.
Madison Streets Superintendent Alan Schumacher issued a statement Thursday afternoon to remind residents of parking regulations and plowing procedures.
Madison has an alternate side parking policy, which asks residents wanting to park overnight must park on the odd side of the street on odd numbered days and the even side on even numbered days, which changes depending on the day of week.
Residents outside the downtown isthmus area are required to abide by this policy from Nov. 15 to March 15 regardless of weather. Those living in the downtown area need to follow the alternate parking policy if a snow emergency is declared, Schumacher said in the statement.
Vehicles in the area need to follow the snow emergency declaration so plows can effectively clear snow all the way to the curbs.
Schumacher said the Madison Police Department will be patrolling to enforce parking regulations. Police will be ticketing or towing vehicles in violation of these policies.
Students who usually park their cars on the streets should use ramps or parking lots to keep cars off the streets for plows.
Main streets began being de-iced as early as Thursday, in order to prevent snow from sticking to pavement. Once snowfall begins, the city’s 30 salt trucks will be covering salt routes, Schumacher said.
The statement added if snow accumulation should reach an excess of three inches, all city streets will be plowed. This includes 175 snow removal vehicles to plow all 766 miles of streets in Madison.
The weather service said in a statement people should take the snow into consideration during travel and take necessary precautions.
While streets could be plowed, riding bicycles or mopeds could still be dangerous with slippery or icy conditions on the roads, Schumacher said.
“I wish students luck if they’re riding a bike or driving a moped,” Schumacher said. “They should have their feet under them. Skidding on four wheels is a lot different than skidding on two.”
He added bike paths will be plowed first, with some being plowed sooner than the streets. Streets that intersect with bike paths might not be plowed.
Ald. Bryon Eagon, District 8, said students should plan ahead with trips that need to be taken and allow themselves extra time for travel.
“Use common sense. If you’re a confident biker or scooter [driver], decide if it’s worth the risk when conditions are fierce,” Eagon said. “The conditions of the streets are unpredictable. Don’t be overconfident.”
