City of Austin declares a snow emergency

The City of Austin declared a snow emergency Tuesday morning in preparation for a winter storm scheduled to hit the area sometime Tuesday evening. The declaration takes effect beginning at 6 p.m. on Tuesday and will last for 72 hours unless extended.

The National Weather Service has forecasted between 6 to 10 inches accumulating locally from Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning. The city typically declares a snow emergency when about 4 or more inches of snow falls.

Under the Snow Emergency Parking Ordinance, parking in the business areas of the city is prohibited between the hours of 1-8 a.m. during the 72-hour period. Business areas include midtown Austin, Sterling Shopping Center, the Hormel Plant area and East Side business area.

Residents are also required to obey the even/odd parking rule. All vehicles parked on Austin streets between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 a.m. the succeeding day must be parked on the side of the street with even addresses on even-numbered days of the month. All vehicles parked on Austin streets between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 a.m. the succeeding day must be parked on the side of the street with odd addresses on odd-numbered days of the month.