St. Paul declares Feb. 19 snow emergency; night plow 9 p.m. Thursday, day plow 8 a.m. Friday
St. Paul declared a snow emergency beginning at 9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, after the latest 7.6" storm; night-plow routes must be cleared of parked cars by 9 p.m. Thursday and day-plow routes by 8 a.m. Friday, Feb. 20. The emergency runs 96 hours through 9 p.m. Monday, Feb. 23, with full ticketing and towing enforced citywide (note: blocks without “night plow” signs are treated as day-plow routes, so parking is prohibited during the day-plow phase).
📌 Key Facts
- St. Paul declared a snow emergency beginning 9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026.
- Night-plow routes must be cleared of parked cars by 9 p.m. Thursday; day-plow routes must be cleared by 8 a.m. Friday, Feb. 20.
- The emergency will remain in effect for 96 hours — through 9 p.m. Monday, Feb. 23 — with full citywide ticketing and towing enforced during that period.
- The declaration followed a storm that dropped about 7.6 inches of snow in St. Paul.
- St. Paul typically declares a snow emergency after storms that drop at least 3 inches, which is why this event triggered one.
- If a block does not have a “night plow” sign, it is considered a day-plow route and parking is prohibited there during the day-plow phase.
- Minneapolis had overlapping snow-emergency phases and its own parking rules Monday, providing cross‑city context.
- City officials have begun and will continue ticketing and towing vehicles that violate snow-emergency parking rules; in a prior recent emergency St. Paul issued 3,253 tickets and towed 952 vehicles.
📊 Relevant Data
The average February snowfall in Minneapolis-St. Paul is 7.8 inches based on the 1981-2010 climate normals, providing context for the 7.6 inches dropped in this storm being near average.
Minneapolis/St. Paul Climate Data — Minnesota DNR
A weak La Niña episode is expected for the winter of 2025-2026, with higher odds of above-normal snowfall in the Upper Midwest due to trough-dominant patterns influenced by oceanic-atmospheric signals.
November Update: 2025-2026 Winter Forecast Preview — OpenSnow
In Minnesota, 3% of White non-Hispanic households have no vehicle access, compared to 13.2% of Black households, highlighting a racial disparity in transportation resources.
Race and Transportation Trend Analysis — Minnesota GO
Black drivers in Ramsey County, which includes St. Paul, are four times more likely to be pulled over than other drivers, indicating racial disparities in traffic enforcement that could extend to snow emergency violations.
📰 Source Timeline (5)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- St. Paul has declared a new snow emergency beginning at 9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in response to the latest 7.6" storm.
- Night Plow Routes must be clear of parked cars by 9 p.m. Thursday; Day Plow Routes must be clear by 8 a.m. Friday, Feb. 20.
- The emergency will remain in effect for 96 hours, through 9 p.m. Monday, Feb. 23, and full ticketing and towing will be enforced citywide during that period.
- Confirms this specific snow emergency begins at 9 p.m. Monday, Dec. 29, with night plow routes first and day plow routes starting 8 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 30.
- Clarifies that if a block does not have a “night plow” sign, it is a day plow route and parking is prohibited there during the day plow phase.
- Links the declaration directly to Sunday’s winter storm that dropped 5–7 inches on the Twin Cities, noting MSP officially recorded 5.8" and listing several local snowfall totals.
- Notes that St. Paul typically declares a snow emergency only when a storm drops at least 3 inches of snow, underscoring why this event triggered one.
- Provides a brief status update on Minneapolis’ overlapping snow-emergency phases and parking rules for Monday, allowing cross‑city context.
- St. Paul issued 3,253 tickets during the recent snow emergency.
- The city towed 952 vehicles during the same period.
- The snow emergency in St. Paul is continuing into the enforcement phase.
- City officials have begun ticketing and towing vehicles that violate snow-emergency parking rules.