Text and e-mail alerts, social media messages, telephone calls, news media announcements. It seems that Minneapolis residents are being notified every way possible when a snow emergency is upon them and they need to get their vehicles out of the way of the plows.

Turns out, the city is about to use one more tactic to get the word out and help vehicle owners keep their blood pressure low and avoid claiming their towed vehicles.

Mayor R.T. Rybak and Clear Channel Outdoor officials unveiled plans on Wednesday to use 12 digital billboards around the city to tell drivers when a snow emergency is in effect and how to sign up for alerts.

Three billboards downtown will be used to demonstrate what those messages will say.

"We already have many creative ways of informing residents and visitors about snow emergencies, and thanks to Clear Channel Outdoor, we have a great new one," Rybak said in a statement released through his office.

Council Member Sandy Colvin Roy, who chairs the Transportation and Public Works Committee, added that "with these digital billboards we have just about every method of reaching people except for skywriting or carrier pigeons."

Chris Havens, Star Tribune
Here's a mockup of what the digital billboards will look like during a snow emergency in Minneapolis.

Clear Channel Outdoor branch president Susan Adams Loyd said the billboards "will be seen by more than 1 million people throughout the community each day during those designated snow emergencies."

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482