What to watch for as Sioux Falls workers clear nearly a foot of snow Tuesday
Sioux Falls first responders say they were called out to about 45 crashes, which occurred after almost a foot of snow was dumped on the city by Monday night during the first heavy winter storm of the season.
That's a fairly low number, said Steve Fessler, Division Chief with Sioux Falls Fire Rescue. The department responded to at least 46 calls for service and PatientCare EMS had at least 83 calls for service, Fessler said.
The numbers came as part of an update at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday news conference about the city's progress on snow removal and ice operations currently underway. The operations are a response to the long-protracted snow event which brought two waves of snow in the last day and a half.
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How much snow did we get?
The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls reported 6.2 inches of snow by about 6 a.m. Monday and an increase of at least 2 inches in the next 12 hours, according to consistent weather reports posted on their Facebook account throughout the day yesterday.
By Tuesday morning, the city had broken a daily snowfall total record, with 10.5 inches overall from the storm, according to the NWS.
“The National Weather Service shared this morning that they’ve reported just under 11 inches of new snow with two waves of snow that’s come through,” said Mark Cotter, Director of Public Works for the City of Sioux Falls.
Cotter thanked the people for their patience as the department stayed on the emergency snow routes during the first wave of snowfall, after which there was a “short lull” and “more snow came throughout the night.”
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When were snow alerts issued?
Officils with the Sioux Falls Police Department were also present to share guidelines about what residents should watch for during snow removal.
The City of Sioux Falls declared a snow alert Monday mid-afternoon, timed for the lull between the first and second snow waves, according to Cotter.
“The second wave was going to start about 11, (and) we really wanted to know the duration and the pace of that second event before we issued it, so we could provide a good detail on what the plowing schedule would be,” said Cotter, mentioning how that helped since the second wave lasted longer than originally forecasted. “The intent was to get into Zone 3 after midnight, (but) it ended up being early morning, just because of the snow continuing to come down (and) we needed to stay on those emergency snow routes.”
More: Sioux Falls under snow alert, plowing begins early Tuesday morning
As of 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, the department was in Zone 3, the area north of Russell Street, south of 33rd Street, east of Cliff Avenue and west of Kiwanis Avenue, which is a “majority of the city,” Cotter said.
The core of the north-south streets is also being worked on, and progress can be tracked on the city's snow tracker site, according to Cotter.
'12-hour shifts until we're done'
The department has about “100 operators” that are in motor graders, sanders and loaders who are changing ishifts, along with a full complement of fleet mechanics who are keeping the machines running, Cotter said. Once they are done plowing the streets curb-to-curb, they will start the process of picking up snow, starting in downtown Sioux Falls from midnight Wednesday.
More: Sioux Falls has seen 8 inches of snow so far Monday. More is on the way.
“Ultimately, once the snow stopped this morning, we’ve been able to go into all 20 snow districts with snow removal crews and we’ll be working those on 12-hour shifts until we’re done,” Cotter said. “This one’s going to take some time cause there’s a lot of snow out there, so, just be patient.”
Move your vehicle or face fines
The beginning of plowing also means the start of ticketing and towing cars, police department spokesperson Sam Clemens reminded residents.
“We need to have cars off the streets so the streets can get plowed (to) ensure safe travel, (and) also fire, police and ambulance can get to where they need to go without any issues,” said Clemens, adding residents have been known to get upset when their car gets ticketed or towed in the past. “Try to park off the street until it gets plowed.”
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Owners of cars that get towed are looking at a “minimum of $191” in fees, Clemens said, reiterating this is not an unimportant or inexpensive thing.
Clemens advised residents to check weather, wind and road conditions if they are considering travel outside the city, citing blowing snow due to the wind outside of the area.
“Slow down, take your time,” Clemens said. “If you’re going outside of Sioux Falls, make sure you have an emergency kit with you, fully charged cellphone, the route planned ahead so people know when you’re leaving, where you’re expected to go. And obviously, if you get stuck or have some issues, then call for help.”
The fire department operated three snowplows during these calls for service in the outlaying areas where there was any kind of drifting snow or tough streets to get through. They worked with the department of public works to assist ambulance services, Fessler said.
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“Emergencies don’t stop or end during a snow event and we continue to need the public’s support on the cleanup,” said Fessler, reiterating the clearing of a 3-foot section around fire hydrants to be prepared for emergencies.
Cotter also mentioned how the effectiveness of snow gates reduces once the volume of snow goes above 5 or 6 inches and how it reduces the amount of snow blown into your driveway but doesn’t eliminate it. The city was lucky, since Monday's storm brought “lighter and dryer snow,” even though the area saw close to a foot of snow.
What are you responsible for?
The expectations from residents are to clear their sidewalks and the space to their mailboxes, and not blow excess snow into the streets but to their own yards instead, according to Cotter.
Cotter spoke about the helpful resources the city has for residents on the official website, siouxfalls.gov/snow. Residents can go to the snow tracker for live information every hour “as streets turn from red to blue.” The tracker shows the "street has been plowed and should be restored to normal travel.”
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: What to watch for as Sioux Falls workers clear nearly a foot of snow Tuesday
