Temperatures are dropping this week, and snow is right around the corner for Minnesota. With snow in the City of Minneapolis comes the inevitable and frustrating hassle that is on-street parking in the winter.

Students new to the area or those who havenâÄôt lived in an urban community in the past must be aware of the complex snow emergency rules during winter. If your car is parked in the wrong place, it will be hastily towed, and it will cost a lot of time and money to get it back.

Towing companies will not sympathize if a car is parked on the wrong side of the street or parked on the street at the wrong time. ItâÄôs their job to tow you, so theyâÄôll be happy to do so. Students must especially pay attention in Minneapolis, where the biggest towing company, Cedar Towing, is currently under investigation for alleged overcharges and missing paperwork.

HereâÄôs what to know to get ready for winter parking:

Snow emergencies happen over a course of three days. Day one will be declared no later than 6 p.m. and parking rules will go into effect at 9 p.m.

If you live on a street with a red âÄúsnow emergency routeâÄù sign, you may not park on it at all until the snow is fully cleared from the road.

On day two, you must park on the odd side of any non-snow emergency route or on either side of any snow emergency route, which means on most city streets. Finally, on day three, you must park on the even side of the street or on either side of any snow emergency route.

If you fail to obey these rules, a towing fee will cost you around $200, plus $27 for each day the car sits in the lot. When the snow gets heavy, make sure to watch out for snow emergencies to save your time and money.