Salem Snow Emergency Could Cause Extra Parking Problems

SALEM, MA -- Salem declared a snow emergency which goes into effect at 7 am Wednesday morning. That means on-street parking is banned on most streets and this storm, that could pose an extra hassle: Salem Public Schools and Salem State university are both in session Wednesday, meaning those lots won;t be available to residents who have no off-street parking options.

The city is excluding the downtown district for the snow emergency. Parking will be allowed on the following downtown streets Wednesday: Washington Street; Federal Street (from North Street to St. Peter Street); Essex Street (from North Street to Hawthorne Boulevard); Lynde Street; Norman Street; Church Street; Central Street (Essex Street to Derby Street); New Derby Street; Derby Street (Lafayette Street to Orange Street); and Hawthorne Boulevard.

The latest forecast calls for 6 to 8 inches of snow to blanket the region and a winter storm warning remains in effect for parts of Essex County until 6 pm. Snow is expected to taper off in the afternoon but the National Weather Service is predicting particularly hazardous conditions during the morning commute.

Subscribe to Salem Patch for more local news and real-time alerts.

Patch file photo.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).