The city of Madison said Monday it has lifted the ban on outdoor burning.

The burn ban was issued last week because there was a high risk of brush fires starting due to the weather conditions.

The Madison Fire Department said the recent rainfall minimizes concern for outdoor burning in the city of Madison -- however the high winds should temporarily limit burning.

Given the rainfall, the city of Madison has lifted the ban, according to Bernadette Galvez of the Madison Fire Department.

Approved outdoor fireplaces and fire pits may now be used. Prairie and/or natural lawn burns, approved by permits, may also be conducted. 

More information about outdoor and open burning in Madison can be found at http://www.cityofmadison.com/fire/documents/OutdoorandOpenBurningGuide.pdf.

The city of Madison is declaring a snow emergency for Friday night and Saturday night, according to the city's website.

All people who park on the street throughout the entire city must abide by the alternate-side parking regulations.This includes the downtown Isthmus area where the snow emergency will be in effect. The parking restrictions will be 1 a.m. to 7 a.m. on both nights, city officials said.

Crews will continue to plow and sand the main arterials, the main connector streets, streets around the hospitals and schools and Madison Metro Bus Routes throughout the rest of the day and all evening.

The main routes have been sanding and plowed since the storm started early this morning, city officials said. Crews have been on the 30 main routes since 8 a.m. on Friday.

Twenty-eight of the city of Madison's salting and sanding crews have been working on area roads since about 1:30 a.m. on Saturday.

Madison Streets Department superintendent Al Schumacher said that salt and salt brine is being applied to all salt routes, which are our main arterials, main connector streets, streets that Madison Metro runs on and streets around schools and hospitals.

Schumacher said that much of the city received just over 1/2 inch of snow. He said conditions were a bit slippery in the early-morning hours, but he predicted a quick improvement as temperatures warmed up to the lower to mid-30s.

The slippery start to the day was blamed on warmer temperatures of the ground that initially melted the snow when it first fell before freezing into a thin layer of ice, Schumacher said.

The city warns all drivers to use good winter driving techniques and to break early and be cautious at all times.