This blizzard, simplified

Happy Wednesday! Megan here, again.

You've probably noticed that the weather is ... not awesome. And it's expected to only get worse as the day goes on.

Here's a quick rundown of resources and what you need to know today and tomorrow.

What's the forecast?

Snow and wind.

The National Weather Service is projecting an additional 7 to 10 inches of snow on top of what's already fallen in the city – which, as of 8 a.m. was about 5 1/2 inches at the airport.

As that snow is falling, wind gusts are expected to be up to 40 mph (and sometimes higher) in Sioux Falls throughout the day and into tomorrow morning.

Want more frequent weather updates? The weather service is super active on Facebook and Twitter, as well as updating the weather story throughout the day.

What's the plan for snow removal?  

Plows are on the streets (and have been all night), according to Streets Operations Manager Dustin Hanson.

• Hanson expects his crews to be working around the clock through at least Sunday in removing snow.

Want to track the plows in real time? The city launched its new snow tracker this morning (read more on the background of that here). You can track which roads in town have been plowed here.

What do I need to know about a snow alert?

There will be a snow alert called at some point today, Hanson said.

If you want to be alerted when it happens, you can sign up for text alerts from the city. (I do recommend this approach, especially if you're someone who frequently parks on the street and doesn't want to get towed).

• To sign up for text alerts, text "SNOWALERT" to 888777.

A snow alert means the city will plow all of the streets in town – it also means if your car is parked along the street you'll likely get ticketed and/or towed.

What should I be doing to be helpful?

Stay home. City officials are asking the public to avoid travel as much as possible. The roads are going to continue to get worse, and the wind is going to both create drifts on roads and make it tough to see where you're going.

Shovel your sidewalks. The rule in the city is that residents have 48 hours to clear sidewalks once the snow has stopped falling.

Check on neighbors. It's always good to make sure the folks around you are doing OK.

Be courteous with parking. All of the snow this year has narrowed the streets quite a bit. That means if there are cars parked on both sides of the street, that road can become impassable.

"Try to focus on parking on just one side of the roadway or not directly across from another vehicle," Lt. Andrew Siebenborn said during a news conference Wednesday morning.

Want to really go above and beyond?

Bonus points for anyone who shovels out fire hydrants and storm drains.

As temperatures get warmer, snow is going to melt, and that melted snow needs a place to go.

"We’ve got over 17,000 storm drains throughout the city," City Engineer Andy Berg said. "So our folks aren't able to get out and clear all of those."

You can find the storm drains near you by checking the city's map here.

Any concerns?

Want to report a clogged storm drain, a pothole (not the top priority right now, admittedly) or any other issue? Let the city know here.