(Updated on Feb. 23, 2026 at 6:11 p.m.)
The Watertown Public Schools will be closed on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2026 due to the snow storm that hit the area Sunday and Monday. The Library and Senior Center will be closed and the Food Pantry will operate at the Parker Building. Other buildings will have a delayed opening on Tuesday. See details in the announcements, below.
The Watertown Schools sent out the following announcement.
No school Tuesday, February 26
Due to challenging conditions for snow removal and safe passage to our schools, all Watertown Public Schools and district offices will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday, February 26.
Snow Emergency
The City of Watertown sent out the following announcement:
The City of Watertown’s snow emergency will be lifted on Tuesday, February 24, 2026 at 6:00 AM. The on-street parking ban remains in effect until that time.
Cars must be removed from all City provided parking lots by 7:00 AM on Tuesday. Vehicles not removed promptly will hinder snow removal operations and are subject to towing. We greatly appreciate your cooperation.
The overnight winter parking ban will remain in effect after the snow emergency is lifted and will continue to be enforced until further notice. Given the severity of recent storms, snow removal operations, ensuring room for our public safety vehicles, and the forecast of more storms, the overnight winter parking ban will remain in effect and enforced beyond the previously announced end date. A new end date will be announced at a future time.
The Watertown Free Public Library, Watertown Senior Center, and Watertown Public Schools will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday, February 24. The Watertown Food Pantry will open from 10 AM – 2 PM on Wednesday, February 25 at the Parker Building.
Watertown City Hall and the Parker Building will reopen at 12:00 PM on Tuesday.
Our DPW operations will begin to clear side streets in the coming hours, and we appreciate your cooperation in staying off the roads as snow operations continue city-wide.
Trash and recycling collection will resume tomorrow on a one-day delay for the remainder of the week. Monday pick-ups should wait to put bins curbside until Tuesday morning to avoid any obstructions to our plowing operations. We appreciate your patience as some delays may occur in the aftermath of the storm. The Watertown Recycling Center will operate normal hours on Tuesday.
Parking Alternatives
The Snow Emergency means vehicles cannot park on the streets overnight. For people without off-street parking, there are multiple municipal, school, and other parking lots to leave vehicles.
Off Street Parking Options in Watertown
Type of Parking Lot Name/Location Details (If Applicable) Number of Spaces & Handicap Spaces Municipal Parking Lot Behind CVS at 27 Main Street Use metered spaces only 239 spaces Municipal Parking Lot Behind the Public Library – 123 Main Street 22 spaces & 6 handicap spaces Municipal Parking Lot Behind CVS at 655 Mt. Auburn Street Use metered spaces only. Do not park in spaces designated for CVS, or other private businesses 25 spaces & 2 handicap spaces Visitor Parking Lot Police Station – 552 Main Street Visitor’s parking lot only 28 spaces School Parking Lot Hosmer Elementary School – 1 Concord Road Vehicles must be removed from school property no later than 6AM 22 spaces & 2 handicap spaces School Parking Lot Lowell School – 123 Lowell Ave Vehicles must be removed from school property no later than 6AM 22 spaces & 2 handicap spaces School Parking Lot Cunniff Elementary School – 246 Warren Street Vehicles must be removed from school property no later than 6AM 48 spaces & 6 handicap spaces School Parking Lot Watertown Middle School – 68 Waverly Avenue Vehicles must be removed from school property no later than 6AM 43 spaces & 6 handicap spaces School Parking Lot Watertown High School (Temporary Site) – 27 Westminster Avenue Vehicles must be removed from school property no later than 6AM 122 spaces & 5 handicap spaces Field Parking Lot Victory Field – 40 Orchard Street *Currently unavailable due to construction 44 spaces Park/School Parking Lot O’Connell Park – Lot at the corner of Boylston Street and Mt Auburn Street, where the solar panels are located. Vehicles must be removed from school property no later than 6AM 50 spaces Park Parking Lot Filippello Park – Lot at 191 Grove Street No parking in the spaces along the driveway 55 spaces & 4 handicap spaces Municipal Parking Lot 50 Howard Street 19 spaces and 1 handicap space Municipal Parking Lot Parker Building -124 Watertown Street Vehicles must be removed from property no later than 6AM 89 spaces & 4 handicap spaces Private Lot 101-103 Morse Street – Spaces at the rear of the parking lot Spaces are marked with yellow striping and signs. These spots cannot be used in the case of a Snow Emergency 14 spaces Private Garage 250 Arsenal Place parking garage Spaces are marked with signs on the top level of the parking garage. These spots cannot be used in the case of a Snow Emergency 10 spaces Private Garage Linx Garage – 490 Arsenal Way – Entrance to Parking Garage is located on Nichols Ave Spaces are located on the upper level of the garage and will soon be marked with signs. 7 spaces