Prepping for the storm

January 23, 2026 Community News

From the News You Can Use Department, it seemed worth mentioning some of the tips sent from NYC Sanitation about snow removal and preparation. Also, school snow days and alternate side parking will be announced here. (I am still nostalgic for listening to 1010WINS for that news as a kid.)

STREETS
The city starts to plow once there are two inches of accumulation. You can complain about a street here. But even better: you can track the plowing at PlowNYC. NB: the plows are not designed to clear to the blacktop but are set slightly off the ground to avoid manhole covers.

NB: Plows always push snow to the right.

DSNY also deploys salt spreaders in advance of snow or ice. Large salt spreaders have plows attached and hold 16 tons of salt along with 120-gallon tanks of liquid calcium chloride for pre-wetting salt to melt snow and ice at lower temps. enable the melting of snow and ice at lower temperatures.

SIDEWALKS
Property owners are responsible for shoveling their sidewalks and MUST clear a path that is at least four feet wide. You can make a complaint to 311 about sidewalks here.

GET PAID TO SHOVEL!
You can get paid to be an emergency snow shoveler (or you can just help out a neighbor).

 
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1 Comment

  1. N
    January 23, 2026 • 4:00 pm

    I grew up in Bergen County and snow days were “announced” by the town-wide fire horn (usually used to call in the volunteer firefighters) going off at 6:30 am. And then we’d listen to 1010 WINS to make sure we didn’t dream it! I suppose that now they have text and pre-recorded phone message trees to alert families.

    Thanks for the info on how to report lack of sidewalk shoveling in front of businesses. That’s a real problem around here with all the vacant storefronts where seemingly the owners have delegated the responsibility to the tenant, ignoring the fact they have no tenant.

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