Minneapolis, MN
Snow emergency declared as St. Paul, Minneapolis prepare for ‘historic’ snowstorm
As the Twin Cities prepare for what could be one of the largest snowstorms to hit the area in years, the mayors of St. Paul and Minneapolis have declared snow emergencies and are asking residents to move their vehicles off streets as soon as possible.
Both cities declared snow emergencies effective at 9 p.m. Sunday but asked residents to begin moving vehicles Saturday, the mayors announced in a joint news conference Saturday afternoon in St. Paul.
“Because the forecast calls for an extreme amount of snow, please move your vehicles off night plow routes this evening if you can,” Mayor Koahly Her said. “Moving now will help you avoid becoming stuck in a snowbank, and will give our crews room to work, and make sure you have safe roads to drive on when the time comes.”
City staff at both cities have been “working tirelessly” for the past few days in preparation of the storms, Her said, which if predictions are correct, will be a historic amount of snowfall. Crews have been treating streets to prepare for the snow, she said.
To make it easier for residents to move their vehicles, both cities are offering thousands of free parking spots.
In St. Paul, the city will open the Block 19 Municipal Ramp at Jackson and E. 7th streets in downtown St. Paul for free parking. In addition, as park and recreation lots are plowed, they will also be opened for free parking, Her said. She said residents should check stpaul.gov/snow for updated information.
The mayor also warned that city snow plows will make two passes so even if it looks like plows have been on a street, they may be coming back, she said, so residents should be aware of that before returning vehicles to snow emergency routes.
“Over the past month, Minnesotans have shown again and again how we look out for each other,” Her said. “I ask you now to check on your neighbors and those who may need help. Follow the posted parking rules, and stay off the roads unless travel is essential. This is spring in Minnesota. We’re prepared and ready to respond.”
Mayor Jacob Frey said his city is doing the same.
“The real reason we call a snow emergency is so we can get the plows through,” he said. “We recognize that this may be a very significant snow event. Our snowplow drivers are in the starting blocks and they’re ready to go. For them, this is the Super Bowl. They’ve been preparing for this kind of snow event all year. And I can tell you we’re going to have every single one of them out.”
Sean Kershaw, St. Paul director of public works, said Saturday he had just received an update from the National Weather service and that the forecast continued to call for 12 to 18 inches of snow beginning Saturday night.
“It’s going to be really heavy falling at about two inches an hour overnight,” he said. “That’s a lot of snow. We could get eight inches overnight. Following the heavy snow, tomorrow, the winds will pick up, and there’ll be strong winds that declare a blizzard warning for the whole region. After that, it will get cold … We will begin plowing the streets as soon as it starts snowing. We will be out all night. We will be out all tomorrow.”
Kershaw asked for people to stay off the roads after midnight Saturday and to have vehicles moved off snow emergency routes Saturday evening.
Cars that park in the free lots won’t have to be moved until 5 p.m. Monday, he said. He advised people to check the city websites for updated information.
The city of St. Paul will not have garbage or recycling pickup on Monday, he said, and people who have pick up on Mondays should put their bins out Tuesday morning.
Tim Sexton, public works director in Minneapolis, said the amount of snow predicted from this storm might be one of the top five snow events in history.
“Remember the Dome Buster event from 2010, where the Metrodome collapsed?” he said. “That was about 17 inches of snow. So more than that is forecast, and this is late season, heavy, wet snow. So it’s going to be inconvenient. There is no way around that. But just recognize this could be a historical event.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey vetoed the second attempt by the Minneapolis City Council to give tenants more time to pay rent in the aftermath of Operation Metro Surge, which has pushed immigrant families into housing instability.
Currently, housing providers are required to give renters in Minneapolis 30 days to come up with money to pay their rent before filing an eviction case against them, which is called a pre-eviction notice period. The City Council voted last week to increase that timeframe to 45 days through the end of August.
During the federal operation, many immigrants sheltered at home and did not go to work because they feared being detained by federal immigration agents. As a result, many are struggling to pay rent. Supporters of the ordinance said the measure will give renters more time to access rental assistance, mutual aid or another paycheck to avoid an eviction case in court.
Other council members, housing providers, and Frey have voiced concern that giving residents more time to pay rent will push them into more debt. In his veto letter on Thursday, Frey wrote that rental assistance is the best solution to support renters.
“The City of Minneapolis has a longer pre-eviction notice period than most cities in the country,” Frey wrote in his veto letter. “I am not convinced that more time will result in improved outcomes.”
The city has allocated $3.8 million in emergency funds, and the Wilson Foundation agreed to match another $3 million.
Rental assistance at the state level to help immigrant renters due to the surge has stalled at the Legislature. A bill that would allocate $40 million in rental assistance passed the Senate, but is unlikely to pass a divided House.
“This would have been a tremendous relief for all families, as we would have more time to apply for rental assistance without facing the threat of eviction,” said Alibella Rodriguez, a member of Inquilinxs Unidxs por Justicia (United Renters for Justice) in a statement. “Instead, the Mayor’s veto is a terrible blow to all families, leaving us vulnerable to losing our homes through eviction — homes that served as the greatest refuge we had during the occupation.”
The 45-day pre-eviction notice period ordinance passed with a 8-5 vote. Nine votes are needed to override a mayoral veto. The council will likely vote on overriding the veto at their next meeting on May 7.
This is not the first time the council has tried to extend the pre-eviction notice period.
Last month, Frey vetoed the council’s vote to increase the pre-eviction notice period from 30 to 60 days. The council failed to override that vote. Council members brought forward an ordinance with a shorter time period hoping it would gain more support.
“We’re looking at a mere 15 days,” Council Member Aurin Chowdhury said at a news conference last week. “We changed the policy, we compromised, and it was so consequential, it was worthy of us taking up another cycle to bring it back.”
The St. Paul City Council unanimously approved temporarily extending the city’s pre-eviction notice period to 60 days last month.
According to data from the tenant advocacy group Home Line, eviction filings in Minneapolis increased by 3.4% in the first quarter of the year compared to the average between 2023 and 2025. Housing advocates have said that mutual aid efforts have likely helped keep many renters in their homes for now.
The city will be rolling out more than $6 million in rental assistance to help those affected by the surge. Information about how to access the Minneapolis specific funding can be found here. The Minneapolis funding does not require an eviction case to be filed against the tenant already. Funding is also available through Hennepin County, but an eviction case is required.
Minneapolis police said a 69-year-old man was found dead after a shooting inside a north Minneapolis home. Chief O’Hara said Wednesday, officers responded at about 8:48 p.m. to a report of a shooting and found the man inside a residence on Bryant Avenue North, near 48th Ave. North
Police said he had an apparent fatal gunshot wound. Officers secured the scene and canvassed the area.
Police said homicide investigators are working to determine what led up to the shooting and, at this point, it does not appear random. “This is a tragic loss of life,” said Chief O’Hara. “Our thoughts are with the victim’s family and loved ones. We need anyone who may have information about what happened to come forward.”
Anyone with information can email policetips@minneapolismn.gov or call 612-673-5845 to leave a voicemail. People who want to stay anonymous can contact CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or submit a tip online at www.CrimeStoppersMN.org. Police said tips leading to an arrest and conviction may be eligible for a financial reward.
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