High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! A Snow Emergency is the term used to indicate the active response plan when a snow storm severely impacts a city, county or town in the United States or Canada. Schools, universities, government offices, airports and public buildings may close during a Snow Emergency. The precise meaning of "snow emergency" varies depending on the issuing municipality. Minneapolis, Minnesota defines a snow emergency as a predefined-duration period of specific parking rules to allow snowplows to move about the entire breadth of every city street. On the other hand, Ohio snow emergencies are declared as one of three levels; each level defines the recommended or mandated actions of the general public due to severe winter weather.