Minneapolis blizzard: 2nd snow emergency coming [Update]

Minneapolis calls a second snow emergency to clean up the Snowmageddon mess.

Next up: There will be yet another snow emergency in Minneapolis to clean up the mess Snowmageddon left behind. City officials announced this afternoon that the second snow emergency begins tonight, meaning Day 3 rules are in effect until 8 p.m., and then we start all over again.

Day 1 rules begin anew at 9 p.m. (Full Snow Emergency parking rules here.)

As for the outgoing snow emergency, Minneapolis tow trucks claimed 321 vehicles over the weekend, according to city spokesman Matt Laible.

Though this was by far the worst snowstorm of the year, this is shaping up to be the lowest tow count of any of the three snow emergencies of the season. 1,047 were towed the weekend of the first snow emergency of the year; 1,154 in the second.

City spokesman Matt Lindstrom explains that, like everything else this weekend, the tow trucks just ran a little slower than usual.

"We towed every day of this snow emergency, but tow trucks -- like residents, like the plows -- in some places had trouble getting around," says Lindstrom.

The owners of the 321 vehicles that were towed over the weekend can take comfort in R.T. Rybak's announcement that all of their towing fees will be waived. Unfortunately, that deal won't be good for the incoming snow emergency.

"This time around, in this snow emergency, tow fees will not be waived," says Lindstrom.

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