Saint Paul To Test Snow Emergency Text Alerts on October 21

Saint Paul To Test Snow Emergency Text Alerts on October 21

Early text messaging alerts reminds residents to get ready for winter 

SAINT PAUL, MN (October 20, 2026) – The City of Saint Paul will send a test Snow Emergency text alert on Wednesday, October 21, 2026 to all individuals who have previously signed up to receive Saint Paul Snow Emergency text alerts. The test message will read “TEST: This is a TEST of the Saint Paul Snow Emergency alert message. THIS IS ONLY A TEST. No action needed. Info at stpaul.gov/snow.”  Recipients who receive this message do not need to do anything. 

The early Snow Emergency text test is a reminder for residents of Saint Paul to get ready before the first snowfall. When the City declares a Snow Emergency, special parking rules take effect, and cars left parked on streets can be ticketed and towed as they interfere with critical plowing operations. 

“There are tens of thousands of cars parked at any given time on Saint Paul streets, and we need all residents to help our plow drivers during a Snow Emergency,” said Saint Paul Public Works Director Deb Barber. “Our staff plow more than 1,800 lane miles in 24 hours during a Snow Emergency. Signing up for text or email alerts now means you’ll know when to move your car, so you don’t come back to a ticket or a tow.” 

What to know 

Snow Emergency texts are transitioning to a new “shortcode” number, 888777 starting with this test.  During the transition, current subscribers may get messages from 888777, 88911, or both. Current text alert subscribers don’t need to do anything, and email alerts aren’t changing. 

Sign up for Snow Emergency text alerts 

Alerts are available in five languages. 

• For alerts in English, text STPAULSNOW at 888777 
• For alerts in Hmong, text STPAULSNOW1 at 888777 
• For alerts in Somali, text STPAULSNOW2 at 888777 
• For alerts in Spanish, text STPAULSNOW3 at 888777 
• For alerts in Oromo, text STPAULSNOW4 at 888777 

Text STOP at any time to unsubscribe. Message and data rates may apply. 

To learn about Snow Emergency parking rules and sign up for email alerts, visit stpaul.gov/snow. 

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