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New York City began experiencing a major winter storm early this morning. City agencies have been preparing for days, and thousands of city workers—especially sanitation crews—are working around the clock in freezing conditions.
School update (Monday, Jan. 26): NYC public schools will switch to a remote learning day because of dangerous weather. No in-person classes. All after-school programs, adult education, and school-based activities are canceled.
Students in high school and schools serving grades 6–12 that already had a scheduled professional learning day will remain off.
The city reported early readiness: 162,000+ students and 77,000 teachers had already logged in ahead of the remote day.
Weather forecast: The city expects up to 11 inches of snow, with heavy snow continuing and wind gusts up to about 35 mph in the evening. Freezing rain is expected overnight. Conditions should ease tomorrow, but light snow/freezing drizzle and wind may continue until around midday.
Extreme cold danger: Officials warned this could be the coldest sustained stretch in about eight years. The mayor stressed that exposure can be deadly—reporting that five people were found dead outdoors the day before the heavier snow (causes still under investigation).
Help for people in need of warmth and shelter:
The city opened 10 warming centers (two in each borough), with food provided, planned to operate at least through tomorrow evening.
NYC also has 126 shelters, plus hospitals and safe havens available.
A Code Blue is in effect; outreach teams are checking vulnerable residents regularly.
Officials urged: If you see someone who may need help outside, call 311 immediately (during Code Blue, these calls are routed to 911).
Snow response and streets:
Sanitation pre-salted major roads starting Friday morning.
More than 2,500 sanitation workers per 12-hour shift are deployed, along with 700+ salt spreaders and 2,200 plow vehicles tracked in real time.
A public plow tracker is available at nyc.gov/plowenyc.
Transit and service changes:
The MTA is operating (with delays and some adjustments). Some subway lines are running local instead of express in places.
LIRR and Metro-North are running modified/reduced schedules.
NYC Ferry is suspended until further notice; Staten Island Ferry moved to hourly service.
Port Authority bus service was reported as suspended.
All three public library systems will be closed today and tomorrow.
Safety guidance: The mayor repeatedly asked New Yorkers to stay home and stay off the roads if possible. If shoveling, pace yourself and clear snow in multiple passes. Check on seniors and neighbors. Be careful with space heaters (keep them at least 3 feet from anything flammable and never leave them unattended).
Remote learning tech support: If families have trouble logging in for remote learning on Monday, they can call the DOE help desk at 718-935-5100, operating 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
