Do you live in St. Paul? Are you confused by the city's snow emergency rules? Don't want to get towed?

Well, consider this bit of news as snowstorm serendipity.

Just as the next whopper of a winter storm bears down on the Twin Cities, the City of St. Paul is launching a free St. Paul Winter Snow Parking App. The app gives notifications when snow emergencies are declared; information on when and where people need to move vehicles; an interactive map showing where people can and cannot park during all phases of the snow emergency; basic snow emergency parking rules; towing; and contact information for questions.

If you live in St. Paul, or just visit a lot, the city is encouraging you to download the Winter Snow Parking app to lessen the odds of getting towed this winter.

The app is available in both English and Spanish, and provides a link to snow emergency information in eight languages.

The app notifies users when a snow emergency is declared, one hour prior to night and day parking restrictions going into effect, and when snow emergency parking restrictions have been lifted. The app also allows the city to send other important information to smart phones during a snow emergency.

St. Paul also offers SnowAlerts via email and text messages in 4 languages.

Visit the Apple or Android app store or http://www.stpaul.gov/snowapp to download the app for your Apple or Android phone.