(COLUMBIA, MO) - The City of Columbia continues to monitor and is prepared to respond to the winter weather that’s expected to impact the mid-Missouri area beginning the evening of Friday, Jan. 18. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory, which is in effect until Saturday, Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. The storm is predicted to bring additional snow to the area coupled with high winds, which could impact travel and possibly create power outages. All available City resources will be utilized in responding to the storm to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our community members.
Updates will continue to be posted on the City’s various social media accounts.
Roads: Public Works is planning to have a 13-person Street Division crew overnight Friday, Jan. 18, beginning at 11 p.m. to monitor conditions and treat priority routes. A 27-person Street Division crew is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 19, at 7 a.m. focusing on priority routes. Additional staff from other City departments are currently planned to begin at 10 a.m. to assist with plowing, bringing the total to more than 40 staff members. We ask that residents voluntarily not park on priority routes, which will be the initial focus on Friday night and Saturday. No parking on priority routes becomes mandatory when accumulations reach 2 inches at which time cars parked on priority routes are subject to ticketing and towing. All priority routes are marked with red, white and blue signs. A list of these streets is available at CoMoSnow.com. We also recommend you sign up for text alerts on your smartphone by texting COLUMBIAPW to 888-777.
Power Outages: Due to expected strong winds this weekend, there is the possibility of power outages. If this occurs, Utilities crews will work to restore power as soon as possible. Report a power outage by calling 573.875.2555 and view outages via the Outage Viewer:
outageviewer.gocolumbiamo.com.
Solid Waste: The Solid Waste Utility is already scheduled to run a holiday collection schedule next week, beginning Monday, Jan. 21 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and delaying collection by one day for all curbside customers. Additional delays are possible if winter weather impacts streets. Residents can download the
COMO Recycle and Trash app for collection day reminders and service notifications.
Public Safety: If you have to be out on the roads, drive slowly, leave extra space between you and the vehicle in front of you and leave earlier than normal to reach your destination. Columbia Police Department provides online non-injury crash reporting. If you are involved in a non-injury motor vehicle crash, please exchange information with the other driver(s) and continue to your destination. You can report the accident online at
CoMo.gov/Police/Online-Reporting-Forms, but if someone is injured, call 911 immediately.
Transit: Go COMO, Columbia’s public transit system, is currently scheduled to maintain its regular fixed route and para-transit services on Saturday, Jan. 19. The Tiger Line routes are scheduled to resume service at the University of Missouri on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 12 p.m. For service updates, please visit the Go COMO
Facebook and
Twitter pages.
Airport: Columbia Regional Airport’s main runway is open to commercial and general aviation traffic. Individual airlines will determine their flight status into and out of COU. Travelers should check their flight status with their airline.
Parks and Recreation: The Activity & Recreation Center (ARC) is expected to open as normal at 7 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 19. If weather causes a delayed opening or cancellation, updates will be posted on the ARC’s Facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/ColumbiaARC. Customers can also call the facility at 573.874.7700 for updated information.
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