Mayor Mamdani has declared a "state of emergency," which features a "travel ban" on city roads and, obviously, a snow day for kids. And there will be no Citi Bike after 8 p.m. tonight.
City streets will be closed to "non-essential vehicular traffic" from 9 p.m. Sunday to noon on Monday, the mayor said in a midday press conference. But the MTA is maintaining service throughout, though conditions are fast-changing.
"This will be New York City's first old-school snow day since 2019," Hizzoner told the city's joyous public school kids.
Here's the declaration itself. It's must-see TV:
The emergency declaration also:
- Suspends Alternate Side Parking for Monday, Feb. 23.
- Directs the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection to monitor and enforce against price gouging.
- Instructs New York City Emergency Management, the Fire Department, the NYPD, Department of Sanitation, and the Department of Transportation to take all necessary steps to protect public safety.
The MTA told Streetsblog at 2 p.m. on Sunday that it plans to run subway and bus service, but is watching the changing conditions closely, particularly at the elevated stations and subway stations in a cut.
Bus service is also subject to roads being cleared, so customers should expect service changes on the fly.
Vehicles that are exempt from the travel ban include:
- Government and emergency response vehicles
- Public transit, including MTA buses and Access-A-Ride
- Vehicles delivering food, fuel and medical supplies
- Utility vehicles performing emergency repairs
- Transportation for essential workers traveling to workplaces, including health care facilities, pharmacies, grocery stores, gas stations, media outlets, hotels and laundromats
- Transportation to hospitals and court facilities
- Nonprofit and private organizations providing emergency relief
Even though delivery workers are not subject to the ban, the mayor beseeched New Yorkers to do the right thing: cook for yourself and don't order food for deliveries that will endanger workers.
The mayor also said 22 warming buses and 13 school warming centers, plus 11 hospital facilities. He added that 86 homeless people had received shelter in advance of the storm.
"Stay inside and stay safe," the mayor said.
(Breaking: Streetsblog's Emergency Weather Desk is now predicting 12 to 14 inches as of 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. Check back for updates.)
The mayor's office put out these specific agency rules and info:
FDNY:
- Starting Sunday at 6 p.m., there will be five firefighters on all Engine Companies, with additional staffing citywide.
- Four high-axle vehicles will be deployed, one in Staten Island, one in Queens, one in Brooklyn, and one in the Bronx.
- FDNY will deploy 10 Rapid Response Vehicles for Cold Calls, two per borough. Each RRV will be staffed with one officer and two Firefighters.
- Thawing apparatus deployed to all fires.
- All ambulances will be equipped with chains.
- Trainings will be canceled and scheduled members will be utilized in the field.
- Extra staffing will be added for EMS.
NYPD:
- NYPD Highway Patrol will be escorting DSNY to help salt and plow streets.
- Tow truck task force is activated and trucks will be pre-staged across the city to assist any motorists who are stuck.
- Additional high-water rescue teams have been activated since moderate coastal flooding is expected.
New York City Public Schools:
- Public school facilities teams are working around the clock to shovel and de-ice school buildings, ensure adequate heating and backup power protocols are in place, and confirm emergency supplies are ready.
- Clear and consistent communication with families remains a priority, with updates being shared in all NYCPS languages through letters, emails, SMS messages, social media, robocalls and website postings.
Public Transit and Ferries:
- With the anticipated winter weather conditions, MTA advises customers to check MTA.info or the MTA app for subway and bus service updates, and the TrainTime app for commuter rail information before traveling. Most subway lines will still operate local service, and scheduled track work has been suspended. Bus service may be adjusted based on road conditions.
- Crews across subways, railroads, and buses are working to keep service moving during the storm. Subway and railroad teams are monitoring switches and tracks, while clearing snow from platforms, stairs, and entrances.
- Longer accordion-style buses have been replaced with 40-foot standard buses equipped with chained wheels.
- Bus service will be adjusted based on road conditions around the city and service curtailments on a route-by-route basis are possible.
- From 7 p.m. Sunday to 10 .a.m. Monday, empty tractor-trailers and tandem trucks are prohibited on the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, Cross-Bay Bridge, Henry Hudson Bridge, Marine Parkway Bridge, Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, Throgs Neck Bridge, and Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
- Staten Island Ferry service will switch to an hourly schedule at midnight. Half hour service will be offered starting at 6 am.
- Scooter share service stopped this morning at 6 a.m.
- Citi Bike service will halt at 8 p.m.
Department of Sanitation:
- The Department of Sanitation has been responding to this storm since yesterday, and all collection trucks and salt spreaders are now affixed with plows and chains. The Department has been in full-force operations since 6am this morning, with 2,600 Sanitation Workers now deployed on each successive 12-hour shift. 700 Salt Spreaders are loaded and thousands of plows are ready to roll.
- Property owners are reminded to clear a four-foot path to allow safe passage for wheelchairs and strollers after end of precipitation.
- The same sanitation workers fighting this storm also pick up your trash, and collection will be delayed following this storm. We are asking residents with Monday recycling to HOLD that material to the following week, as is common after some holidays.
- Staying off the roads tonight will allow New York's Strongest to work safer and faster in these extremely challenging conditions.
Housing Preservation and Development:
- HPD has code inspectors and staff from the Emergency Repair Program team working overtime this weekend to respond to 311 complaints, conduct inspections, and coordinate emergency repairs when warranted.
- If New Yorkers have issues with the heat or hot water in their apartment, they should call their landlord. If they do not quickly respond, tenants should call 311 and a uniformed HPD inspector will come, conduct an inspection, issue violations and if warranted, coordinate emergency repairs.
Department of Buildings:
- The department will have inspectors out in the field over the weekend responding to weather-related incidents and performing random spot-check inspections of construction sites around the city.
- If sites are not secured, the department will take immediate enforcement action — issuing violations and Stop Work Orders, where necessary.
New York City Housing Authority:
- NYCHA also has generators on standby that can be mobilized if needed.
- NYCHA residents in need of non-emergency assistance should call the Customer Contact Center at 718-707-7771 or submit work tickets through the MyNYCHA application.
Libraries:
- All locations of Brooklyn Public Library, The New York Public Library (which covers the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island), and Queens Public Library will be closed.
- E-books and other remote resources are available to New Yorkers 24/7 via bklynlibrary.org(http://bklynlibrary.org/), nypl.org (http://nypl.org/), and queenslibrary.org(http://queenslibrary.org/).
NYC Ferry:
- NYC Ferry expects possible service impacts due to storm conditions including potential early closure on Sunday and a late start of service on Monday. Specific service impacts will be shared on the NYC Ferry app and ferry.nyc. Riders should check the website or app before traveling.
- As always, during times of inclement weather, please use extra precaution when traveling to and from landings.
Con Edison:
- Con Edison has crews are also prepared to respond swiftly and safely to any weather-related service issues or outages that can result when road salt mixes with melting snow.
- Con Edison has deployed additional staffing of crews in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx to maintain service of our underground system. We have secured Underground mutual aid contractors to assist as well in Brooklyn/Queens.
- Each operating region will have around the clock ICS coverage beginning Sunday at 6 p.m. through Monday.
- Con Edison remains in close coordination with New York City Emergency Management and the Westchester County Department of Emergency Services to support a unified response.
- The company urges the public to prioritize safety by staying clear of downed wires, which may be live, and reporting them immediately to Con Edison or by calling 911.
- Customers can report outages and check restoration updates at conEd.com, through the Con Edison mobile app, or by calling 1‑800‑75‑CONED (1‑800‑752‑6633).
New York City Pride Hockey Association (NYCPHA):
- The championship game between the Hotshots and the Fiesta Penguins is still on. Puck drops at 5:30 p.m. at the Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers. Travel to this game is considered essential.
