h. nazan ışık –
21 February 2026 –
Mayor Mamdani held a press conference on 21 February to provide weather updates.
Mayor Mamdani at a press conference (screenshot from YouTupe)
Mamdani said: “Tomorrow, our city will face its second snowstorm in less than a month and our first blizzard since 2016. Right now, forecasts predict light snow will begin to fall tomorrow morning at 6:00 AM. […] and that will persist through Monday morning and into the evening. We are now expecting between 13 and 17 inches of snow. But there is a slight chance we may see up to 20 inches, or even more.
According to Mayor Mamdani DSNY has already begun pre-snow operations, preparing equipment, mounting plows and chains on over 2,200 vehicles, and loading up more than 700 salt-spreaders.
When more than two inches of snow have fallen, plows will be dispatched across our city.
Mayor Mandani said: “We are always seeking ways to improve our efforts to support New Yorkers.
That’s why ahead of this storm our agencies have made several changes to enhance our storm preparedness and service citywide.
Here’s what we’re doing differently:
We’ve brought in outside mechanical snow-clearing equipment ahead of the snowfall—an unprecedented early activation of this resource.
We are expanding geocoded tracking of bus stops, unsheltered stops, crosswalks, and pedestrian ramps to improve the rate at which they’re cleared.
We are also mandating that a path of at least 4 feet must be cleared across all sidewalks to accommodate wheelchairs.”
Clearance of unsheltered bus stops, crosswalks, and fire hydrants are the responsibility of the property owner. Property owners must clean and maintain a four-foot path to allow a stroller or a wheelchair to pass, and if a property sidewalk includes an unsheltered bus stop or a curb ramp, that area must be cleaned by property owners too.
It all remains to be seen.
Expect garbage and recycling collection to be at least one day behind, as DSNY focuses on snow clearing in response to this blizzard.
© h. nazan ışık / NKENdiKEN