The City of Bellevue is continuing to prepare for next Tuesday’s forecasted Winter Storm. Although the City tries to avoid issuing Snow Emergencies due to the inconvenience to our residents, a storm of this potential magnitude may require Mayor Rita Sanders to issue a Snow Emergency in the City of Bellevue. This declaration would require all City of Bellevue residents to remove their vehicles from city streets during the stated time to provide snow removal crews the best opportunity to make all roads passable. This is especially important for emergency vehicles. Pursuant to sections 18-97 through 18-100 of the Bellevue City Code, should a snow emergency be issued, the Bellevue Police Department is authorized to have vehicles towed that are in violation.
We realize that the forecasted Winter Weather event is still days away, but as our friends at the National Weather Service stated this morning, “nothing is a sure thing this far out, but planning now just in case goes a long way in reducing impacts later on”. The City of Bellevue wants to ensure that all residents have plenty of time to start preparing for this potential storm including identifying a safe location for vehicles to be moved off of city streets should a snow emergency be issued.
Mayor Sanders, City Administration and the City of Bellevue’s Public Works Department will continue to monitor the situation throughout the weekend. An official statement will be issued on Monday should the forecast hold and the declaration of a Snow Emergency be necessary. Please stay tuned to local media as well as the City of Bellevue’s social media outlets for more information.