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City of Duluth provides snow plow operations update

Wednesday, April 2, 2025 | 3:00 PM

[DULUTH, MN] City of Duluth Street Maintenance crews continue to remove snow and ice from city roadways today as the winter storm continues through this evening. The City’s full fleet of 23 plow trucks were out at 2:00 AM clearing Priority 1 roadways while working through some Priority 2 roadways throughout the morning and afternoon.  Full plow crews will take rest at 6:00 PM, with reduced staffing staying through the overnight. Full-fleet plow operations will resume at 2:00 AM Thursday morning to continue storm clean-up. For detailed information on the City’s snow and ice policy and how roads are prioritized, please visit https://duluthmn.gov/snow/. Thanks to City of Duluth’s Street Maintenance staff for their hard work through this and all snow events.

The National Weather Service’s forecast includes mixed precipitation falling at an increased rate in excess of .75 inches per hour through the afternoon/evening commute, at times. This will make travel difficult, and residents should plan their commutes accordingly. Blowing snow may also create whiteout conditions intermittently, making travel even more treacherous. Take extra care while driving, and avoid driving if you can.

Spring snow events are always tricky due to a number of factors, including moisture content and variability of snowfall across our region. Additionally, gravel and dirt roadways are especially vulnerable during the spring months due to frost heaving out of the ground. Because of the softer state of these roadways and alleys, Street Maintenance operations must treat those surfaces with a softer touch; this may include either raising the snowplow blades up an inch or so to keep contact with the surface at a minimum to prevent damaging the gravel surface. It may also include leaving a passable gravel surface unplowed and allowing the coming warmth and sun to remove the snow naturally. In those rarer cases, residents should take extra care while traversing those surfaces.

As always, the City thanks residents for their patience and understanding as crews work to maintain roadways during and after snow events. Please stay safe while traveling.

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