EAST LANSING, Mich. — City of East Lansing officials are closely monitoring a forecasted major winter storm, which is expected to result in accumulations of up to approximately 8-12 inches of snow, strong winds and wind chills below zero.
Community members are encouraged to avoid unnecessary travel, as the temperature is expected to rapidly drop as the storm begins on Thursday, Dec. 22, with blizzard conditions expected as the storm progresses through Friday, Dec. 23 and into Saturday, Dec. 24.
Community members are advised that the East Lansing Public Library and East Lansing Hannah Community Center will be closing early at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 22 due to the winter storm.
Community members are also advised that enforcement of sidewalk snow and ice removal for property owners will be suspended until Tuesday, Dec. 27 due to the forecasted extreme cold.
Additionally, community members are encouraged not to park on streets during the storm to accommodate snow removal operations by the East Lansing Department of Public Works (DPW) and should note that overnight parking requests have been suspended for Thursday, Dec. 22; Friday, Dec. 23; and Saturday, Dec. 24.
DPW crews will be prioritizing snow plowing in the following order:
- State highways and major streets
- Residential street stops, hills and corners
- Residential streets, alleys and cul-de-sacs
Crews will also be applying salt/brine to ice as needed on state highways, major streets and in critical areas (i.e. stops, hills and corners); however, it should be noted that less traffic on the roads and the cold temperatures will limit its effectiveness.
With a storm of this forecasted duration and magnitude, DPW crews will likely need to work around the clock and will be relying on relief drivers due to the long hours out on the road. Community members are encouraged to be patient as crews will need to work to make sure first priority routes are maintained until conditions are under control, at which time, they will move to residential streets, alleys and cul-de-sacs.