Snow In Salem: What You Need To Know

SALEM, MA -- Salem announced that its schools will be closed Thursday as the region braces for a snowstorm that could dump up to a foot of snow and blizzard-like conditions on New England. The city also declared a snow emergency that goes into effect at midnight Wednesday and all city offices will be closed Thursday.

Mechanical problems with trash trucks and the snowstorm also forced the city to revise its traffic pickup schedule for the remainder of the week:

• Wednesday’s route will be collected on Friday January 5th.
• Thursday’s route will be collected on Saturday January 6th.
• Friday’s route will be postponed until next Monday January 8th.

The city is also reminding residents about its snow removal and emergency parking procedures.

The quickest way to find out if the city has declared a snow emergency is to sign up for the Salem CodeRED alert system. The city will also place a red snow emergency banner across the top of its Website at Salem.com.

When Salem does declare a snow emergency, all vehicles must be removed from city streets. Vehicles that aren't removed are ticketed and often towed. The city has designated snow emergency parking locations, which can also be viewed on an interactive map.

The city also has a snow shoveling assistance program for elderly and disabled residents. More information on the program, which is run by the Salem Council on Aging, is available on the Website.

For more information on this story, see Salem's Snow Central Website. 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).