Boston snow emergency declared; goes into effect at 9 p.m

"It's going to be a big one!" Mayor Wu said at a 10:30 a.m. press conference.

Once the snow emergency goes into effect, vehicles parked on major roads and main arteries will be towed. ... A parking ban will also take effect at that time and all vehicles parked on a posted snow emergency artery will be towed to allow for snow clearing operations to take place.

Trash and recycling pick-up will continue on a regular schedule on Friday (1/28) and resume on Monday (1/31). Residents are encouraged to download the Trash Day App for more information on their trash and recycling pick-up schedule.

Nighttime street sweeping on main roads, arteries, and commercial roads is canceled until further notice. Updates will be provided on boston.gov when night time street sweeping is scheduled to resume.

As indicated in signage posted in BPS school parking lots, parking is not allowed in these lots during snowstorms. Vehicles may be towed if they are parked in BPS parking lots during the snow emergency. Towing could start on Saturday and could continue through the weekend until lots are cleared.

City streets czar Jascha Franklin-Hodge says that while the city is fully stocked on salt, sand and snow-clearing equipment - including a fleet of mini-plows for bike lanes - he cautioned residents not to expect entirely clear streets right away. "This has the potential to be one for the record books and we should not expect everything to be back to normal" as soon as the snow stops, he says.

Residents with parking permits can find garages where they can park. People who clear parking spaces can homestead their spaces for up to 48 hours after the mayor declares an end to the snow emergency - except in the South End, where space saving is forbidden.

Wu added that property owners need to shovel the sidewalks out front. "We will do our best not to plow snow onto private property," she said, adding people who can should help out their neighbors who might be physically unable to shovel.

More details.