As a powerful winter storm barrels toward Minnesota, cities across the state are bracing for what could become one of the most significant snow events of the season. With forecasts predicting heavy snowfall, strong winds, and blizzard conditions, local officials have declared snow emergencies and are urging residents to prepare for a weekend of challenging weather and strict parking restrictions.
Minneapolis, St. Paul, Bloomington, St. Louis Park, Richfield, and Eden Prairie are among the cities that have taken decisive action, issuing snow emergencies ahead of the blizzard expected to hit between Saturday, March 14, and Monday, March 16, 2026. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has also issued a travel alert for southeast Minnesota, warning that a wintry mix of sleet, freezing rain, and snow will make travel “difficult to dangerous” starting Saturday night and continuing through Sunday.
“The real reason we call a snow emergency is so we can get the plows through, so that we’re able to ensure that after there’s some form of melt it doesn’t become ice and then there’s some form of incursion into the snow into the street itself,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey explained, as reported by KARE 11. The city’s snow emergency will begin at 9 p.m. on Sunday, March 15, and will bring a series of rolling parking restrictions to help plows clear streets efficiently.
Here’s how Minneapolis plans to manage the snow:
From 9 p.m. Sunday to 8 a.m. Monday, parking is prohibited on either side of a Snow Emergency route. Then, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, only the even-numbered side of non-Snow Emergency routes and both sides of parkways are off-limits for parking. Finally, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 17, parking is prohibited on the odd-numbered side of non-Snow Emergency routes.
To help residents comply, Minneapolis has opened more than 700 free parking spaces at the Farmer’s Market lot on East Lyndale Avenue North and the Fourth Street North lot. In addition, about 3,500 spots will be available at Parking Ramp A for a $1 entry fee from 6 a.m. Sunday through 6 a.m. Tuesday. Officials remind drivers that vehicles must leave Ramp A by 8 p.m. Wednesday to avoid extra charges.
Enforcement will be strict. Vehicles that ignore the parking rules may be ticketed and towed, city officials warn. Minneapolis Public Works Director Margaret Sexton described the response as “an all-hands-on-deck situation,” with 115 staff members and 60 pieces of heavy equipment ready to tackle the storm starting Sunday evening.
St. Paul is taking a similar approach, declaring its own snow emergency to start at 9 p.m. Sunday. Mayor Kaohly Her urged residents to move their vehicles off night plow routes by Saturday evening, so crews can begin clearing arterial and high-traffic streets as soon as the snow starts to fall. “Moving now will help you avoid becoming stuck in a snow bank, and will give our crews room to work and make sure you have safe roads to drive on when the time comes,” Her said, according to APM Reports. She also cautioned that “with this much snow some night plow routes may not be fully clear by 8AM on Monday. Use your judgment when relocating vehicles; only move them to streets and lots that have been cleared.”
St. Paul’s parking rules are as follows: starting at 9 p.m. Sunday, parking is banned on night plow routes, which include downtown and any street marked with “NIGHT PLOW ROUTE” signage. At 8 a.m. Monday, the restrictions shift to day plow routes, which are not marked by signs. If a block lacks “Night Plow” signs, it’s considered a day plow route. To ease the burden, the city is opening the Block 19 Ramp for free overnight parking from 5 p.m. Saturday through 5 p.m. Monday.
St. Paul Public Works Director Scott Kershaw said extra crews were called in early Saturday, with 40 drivers working overnight and into Sunday morning to cover the city’s 73 snow routes. Kershaw noted that day plow operations will likely extend into Monday evening, with plowing starting at 8 a.m. Monday. As a result of the storm, St. Paul will not collect garbage or recycling on Monday, instead resuming collection at 6 a.m. Tuesday.
Other metro-area cities are also on high alert. Bloomington’s snow emergency runs from 10 p.m. Saturday to 10 p.m. Monday, with all vehicles required to be moved from city streets until plowing is complete. “During a parking ban, all vehicles must be moved from City streets until plowed full width. Moving your vehicle ahead of time will help avoid a last-minute scramble and the possibility of a ticket!” the city advised.
St. Louis Park’s snow emergency starts at 10 p.m. Saturday, with on-street parking prohibited until further notice. Richfield declared a snow emergency from midnight Sunday through 6 p.m. Monday, banning on-street parking and providing designated parking areas for the first 24 hours. Eden Prairie’s emergency covers March 14 to March 16, with on-street parking prohibited until noon Monday, regardless of whether streets have already been plowed. Officials there are also asking residents to keep trash bins behind the curb and remove any objects, like basketball hoops or landscaping, from the street to facilitate plowing.
As the snowstorm approaches, the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s travel alert for the southeast region is particularly sobering. The agency warns of “a wintry mix of sleet, freezing rain, and snow” that is likely to make roads hazardous. The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for all of southeast Minnesota, predicting up to twenty inches of snow at rates of up to two inches per hour. The KARE 11 weather team has also issued a Weather Impact Alert, forecasting that the worst of the storm will hit Saturday evening and last through Sunday.
Authorities across the region are united in their message: restrict travel to emergencies only, be prepared for rapidly deteriorating conditions, and have a winter survival kit in your vehicle. Residents are also reminded that vehicles parked in violation of snow emergency rules face ticketing and towing—a headache nobody wants during a blizzard.
For city workers, the next few days will be a test of endurance and coordination. “This is really an all-hands-on-deck situation for Minneapolis,” Sexton said, echoing the sentiment of public works crews across the state. In St. Paul, Kershaw emphasized that crews will be working overtime to keep roads safe, even as the storm’s intensity threatens to overwhelm plowing operations.
With the storm’s arrival imminent, Minnesotans are once again reminded of the challenges—and the community spirit—that come with winter in the Upper Midwest. As plows rumble through the night and neighbors dig out together, the state’s resilience will be on full display.