As communities across the Northeast brace for heavy snow, officials in Springfield, Massachusetts say the snowstorm that will start Sunday merits an emergency declaration.
“We're going to do whatever we have to do to keep each and every one of you - our residents, business community - safe and sound,” said Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno during a city storm briefing Friday. “But I'll say it for the 13,000th time: we need your cooperation.”
By noon on Friday, Springfield Public Schools announced classes were canceled for both Monday and Tuesday, ahead of what could be up to two feet of snow hitting the Pioneer Valley.
Sarno announced plans to issue an emergency declaration for Sunday, with an all-hands-on-deck response and parking bans slated to start as early as 9 a.m. in the city of 155,000.
Hot off the press, here's the latest snowfall forecast for the storm that arrives on Sunday, peaks in intensity Sunday evening/night then trails off with light snow on Monday. Check your local forecast at https://t.co/vHZv91Q1be! ❄️❄️❄️ pic.twitter.com/xjkzrBQXQG
— NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) January 24, 2026
“A parking ban is going to be in effect and that's going to start on Sunday - that's going to start at 9 a.m. running to 4pm in the afternoon on the odd side [of the street], then there's going to be 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on the even side until further notice,” Sarno said. “We urge you to obey the parking ban and please, if you can, get your cars off the street … this hinders plowing.”
Speaking at the Raymond Sullivan Fire Department Safety Complex along with city department heads, the mayor and others described how aggressive ticketing and towing will also commence Sunday to ensure road accessibility.
As storm prep work continues statewide, DPW Director Chris Cignoli says city officials are anticipating a travel ban will likely be put in place for much of Sunday and possibly Monday as snow continues into the new week.
“Right now, we're looking at a widespread 12-18 inches of snow and the [forecast] confidence from the National Weather Service … is ‘Very High,’ that we're probably looking at a minimum of 12 inches between 4 p.m. and midnight on Sunday. We will be getting over an inch of snow an hour,” said Cignoli. “During that eight hour period of time, we could be getting close to a foot of snow - travel will not be difficult, it will be impossible.”
Speaking with WAMC, Cignoli adds that 20 city dump trucks, a fleet of smaller vehicles and 100 contractor plows will be working nonstop throughout the city – but that over the course of a long-duration storm, getting cars off the street is imperative.
“It will be cars parked on the street - that is going to be the biggest thing,” he explained. “Most of our residential streets in the city are 28-feet wide and if you have two cars out there that are eight-feet wide - that's 16 feet. It gives you 12 feet, and a lot of our big trucks are 12-foot plows: the math just doesn't work to be able to get down the street.”
Also imperative – being prepared for the sheer amount of cold that started Friday evening, with wind chills likely to reach negative 10.
It’s enough to warrant special city teams going throughout the city to connect those in need or experiencing homelessness with supplies, says Health and Human Services Commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris.
“The city of Springfield has a Cold Weather Task Force - we'll have two of our teams out [Friday] and [Saturday]. They have hygiene items … they also have blankets and hats to give out,” the commissioner said. “We cannot force unhoused individuals to come into shelter. However, I'm telling you, this is a weather event… no one should be on our streets at all.”
Ensuring space heaters are plugged into walls and not extension cords, making sure cars are gassed up and pantries are full were also pieces of advice given Friday – the kind of advice echoed at Gov. Maura Healey’s own storm prep conference later in the day.
“Be careful about space heaters, fireplaces or wood burning stoves during this time - we need these things, but also we don't want to see our firefighters and first responders tapped during this period, and we don't want to see people injured,” the Governor said during Friday’s briefing. “Please be careful of that - Test your smoke and CO detectors now to make sure they're working and bottom line: look out for one another, especially our elderly residents and neighbors.”
