TACOMA, Wash. — Freezing temperatures and possible snow flurries are in the forecast from January 11 through the weekend. The City of Tacoma’s Street Operations Division is deploying 13 snow plows, four sanding trucks, and three de-icing trucks throughout Tacoma starting January 11, and will continue snow operations throughout the storm event.
During a snowstorm event, City crews plow and de-ice streets on a priority level, beginning with primary arterial streets, followed by secondary and auxiliary routes. The time required to clear these routes depends on the intensity and severity of the snowstorm. City crews do not plow and or de-ice residential streets.
Residents can prepare for winter weather by:
- Equipping vehicles with good tires, windshield wipers, chains, sand, and emergency supplies
- Researching public transportation options
- Planning driving routes and organizing them by primary, secondary, and then auxiliary routes as outlined on the City’s snow routes map
- Looking for a flat place to legally park vehicles, where putting on chains can be done safely when snow is forecasted, if living on a hill or somewhere difficult to access in the snow
- Looking for an adjacent flat street to legally park vehicles, if living or working on a primary, secondary, or auxiliary snow plow route, to prevent vehicles from getting covered or blocked in by plowed snow and to make it easier for crews to safely plow city streets
More information on winter preparedness, including a list of street closures due to weather and the snow routes map, is available at cityoftacoma.org/inclementweather.
