Mount Vernon asks residents to park in driveways before snowstorm

MOUNT VERNON – The city asked Mount Vernon residents to park in their driveways and not in the street on Thursday and Friday this week to give Street Department crews space to plow during what might be this winter’s biggest snowfall to date.

The National Weather Service forecast 4 to 7 inches of snow for Mount Vernon and Knox County starting at 10 p.m. Wednesday through 7 a.m. Friday. Snow accumulations will be accompanied by a light glaze of ice according to the forecast issued at 4 a.m. Wednesday. The heaviest snow is expected Wednesday night through Thursday. Snowfall rates may exceed one inch per hour.

“By moving vehicles from the street into their driveways, residents won’t just make the clearing easier for the plows, but vehicles will face less risk of getting boxed in by piles of snow, if the weather forecasts are accurate about expected accumulations,” Todd Hill, administrative assistant and clerk of council, said.

Mount Vernon will put its snowplows on city streets at midnight Wednesday, keeping them on the streets nonstop at least until 12 a.m. Saturday, city spokesperson Todd Hill said in a release. They will work at first to keep ahead of the snow through Thursday. Then they will continue working to clear the streets, Public Works Director Tom Hinkle said.

Crews will clear the major arteries first, along with roads over hills and bridges. They next will work on residential streets and finally the alleys.

“The forecast is complicated by the fact that Knox County will be on the dividing line between cold and warmer air for much of the long-duration event,” Hill said.

Precipitation will begin as rain this morning and will change to a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain overnight before turning into all snow.

Once the snow stops falling expect a chilly weekend. Wind chill values of -5 to -15 are also possible Friday night into Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service’s winter weather advisory that will be in effect from 10 p.m. Wednesday through 7 a.m. Friday.

According to National Weather Service climatology records, Mount Vernon receives an average of 32 inches of snow during the winter, according to National Weather Service climatology records. Up until this snowstorm, approximately 13.5 inches have fallen.