The City of Portage has issued a Snow Removal Emergency, restricting on-street parking beginning at 12:01 AM on Friday, January 12. This restriction will remain in effect until further notice.
Heavy snow and strong winds are expected for portions of Michigan starting Friday morning and continuing into Saturday. The main concerns are wind gusts of 30 to 45 mph paired with heavy snow causing blowing and drifting snow, whiteout conditions, power outages, and hazardous travel conditions. Most accumulations will occur during Friday afternoon and night.
To assist with safe and efficient snow removal from city streets, residents are asked to refrain from parking on all public streets. As this major storm moves through the area, every effort will be made to keep major roads open and as clear as possible. City plow trucks will make every attempt to provide residents on non-major roads with an emergency access pass as they are able. Once the storm ends, snowplow operators will begin clearing all interior neighborhood streets and providing access to cul-de-sacs and dead-end streets; this usually requires an additional 24 to 48 hours.
Portage citizens are urged to monitor local news stations and the US National Weather Service for important weather updates. Follow the City of Portage on social media or visit portagemi.gov/290 for snowplowing updates.