Sioux Falls area schools will start 2 hours late Friday after winter storm dumps 5 inches of snow

The Public Works Street Division of the city of Sioux Falls has declared a snow alert, beginning at 9 p.m. Thursday, following a half a foot of snow through the city.

Plowing of emergency snow routes has begun, and will continue until routes are clear. All vehicles parked on emergency snow routes are subject to ticketing and towing, according to a press release from the city.

The winter system Thursday afternoon dumped more than 5 inches on the southeast side of town, according the Todd Hietkamp, the head meteorologist for the National Weather System of Sioux Falls who posted the update on Twitter. As of 10 p.m., the NWS office reported 6 inches of snowfall at the Sioux Falls Regional Airport.

Multiple school districts in the area have announced delays for Friday as a result of the storm.

The city is under a winter weather advisory until 6 a.m. Friday as the system moves through, bringing with it anywhere from 2 to more than 5 inches in some areas, according to NWS.

When will my snow be plowed?

Here's a look at when certain zones throughout the city will see snow plowed through the weekend, according to the press release:

All vehicles within the zones are subject to ticketing and towing during snow plow operations, until the streets have been plowed.

Zone 3: Plowing in Zone 3 will begin Friday, after emergency routes have been cleared. All streets in Zone 3 will be plowed.

Zone 2: Plowing of north/south streets will begin at 8 a.m. Friday. All vehicles parked on north/south streets are subject to ticketing and towing until streets have been plowed or until 5 p.m. whichever is earlier. Although this requirement is in effect only until 5 p.m., any continuing snow removal operations may impact your use of the street for parking.

Plowing of east/west streets will begin at 8 p.m. on Friday. All vehicles parked on east/west streets are subject to ticketing and towing until streets have been plowed or until 5 a.m., whichever is earlier. Although this requirement is in effect only until 5 a.m., any continuing snow removal operations may impact your use of the street for parking.

Zone 1: Snow pickup operations in Zone 1 will begin at Sunday. Vehicles parked in Zone 1 will be subject to ticketing and towing between the hours of 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. on Sunday. During a snow alert, parking is prohibited in the downtown area between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m.

To get the latest information, sign up for snow alerts by texting SNOWALERT to 888777, or visiting the city website to sign up for email notifications.

To find out which snow zone you're in, and pinpoint the zone based on address, visit www.siouxfalls.org/snow.

What schools are closed or delayed Friday?

As of 9:45 p.m. Thursday, three school districts have announced delays for the start of school Friday.

Sioux Falls School District, the state's largest, mentioned on social media the two-hour delay meant:

• no morning preschool/early childhood classes

• no morning practices or activities

• no morning tardies counted

• no breakfast

• Bus pickup times may be also impacted, according to the district.

Tea Area School District announced on social media it will start two hours later than normal.

Harrisburg School District also announced the same, and stated buses will run two hours late. There will also be no breakfast will be served, and no before school childcare, the district stated on social media.

Canton School District has also joined the two-hour delay.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Storm dumps 6 inches of snow, Sioux Falls schools delayed 2 hours