MUSCATINE, Iowa – While the City of Muscatine does not anticipate declaring a snow emergency on Sunday (Nov. 25), city staff does urge residents to travel only if needed, drive with caution when out, and to avoid on-street parking if possible.
Residents are also reminded that clearing of sidewalks and steps is required by City Code and will benefit school age children getting to and from school and emergency personnel as they respond to those in need assistance.
The National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Warning for Muscatine for a large portion of East Central Iowa and Northwest Illinois from 6 a.m. Sunday to 12 a.m. Monday. The NWS is forecasting 6-8 inches of snow to fall along with winds gusting to 35 mph. A blizzard warning was issued for southern Iowa.
The NWS advisory warns that blowing and drifting snow will create near blizzard conditions at times with near zero visibility, while the heavy, wet snow and strong winds may result in downed tree limbs and power lines.
The best advice for Muscatine residents is to complete any errands Sunday morning. Precipitation is expected to begin as rain before changing to snow around 10 a.m. with patchy, blowing snow in the afternoon.
City officials also urge residents to avoid on-street parking if possible or abide by the city’s even-odd parking regulation during snowfalls of two inches or more. Even if a snow emergency is not declared, adhering to the established parking plan allows Department of Public Works crews to clear the streets quickly and safely.
According to City Code, streets that normally allow parking on both sides of the street will be subject to “alternate side of the street” parking during a snow emergency and is the recommended parking plan during non-snow emergency events. The parking plan states that, on odd-numbered days of the month, parking is permitted only on the odd-numbered side of the street. Likewise, parking is permitted only on the even-numbered side of the street on even-numbered days.
There are two provisions for all streets where parking is allowed only on one side. If that side is on the even-numbered side, street parking is allowed only on even-numbered days with no parking allowed on odd-numbered days. Likewise, if the one side is on the odd-numbered side of the street, parking is allowed only on odd-numbered days with no parking allowed on even-numbered days.
Class 1 streets, those designated to be cleared first including snow ordinance routes, hospital access streets, school access routes, and transit emergency bus routes, will be cleared from curb to curb before proceeding to other streets. If you usually park on a street on one of these designated routes, it is advised that you find off-street parking until the street is cleared.
There are five emergency plow snow routes throughout the city which are cleared first according to DPW Street Maintenance Supervisor Randy Howell.
“We have a map with the emergency routes in different colors which just is a guide for our crews to know which route they need to clear,” Howell said.
For more information visit the Snow & Ice Removal page on the City of Muscatine web site. You can also call the Department of Public Works at 563-272-2506 for more information.
There are two other sections in City Code that deal with snow and ice removal.
Section 3-1-4 states that property owners are responsible for clearing natural accumulations of snow and ice from the sidewalks within 24 hours after the last snowfall. If the property owner does not clear the sidewalk in a reasonable time, the City will attempt to notify the property owner to remove the snow and ice. If the City clears the snow and ice, the property owner will be assessed the costs of removal.
Section 3-1-7 simply states that it is unlawful to throw, push or place any ice or snow from private property, sidewalks or driveways onto the streets.
Emergency Snow Route Mao
Snow Emergency Ordinance Q&A
Title III: Public Ways and Property