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Winter Operations Advisory

DSNY Issues Winter Operations Advisory for Friday, December 20 at 2:00 PM

December 20, 2024

Possibility of hazardous conditions and limited accumulation throughout Friday evening commute

**New Yorkers encouraged to stay off the roads during this time**

The New York City Department of Sanitation has issued a Winter Operations Advisory for Friday, December 20, 2024, beginning at 2:00 p.m. Operations are possible until 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 21. A Winter Operations Advisory is the Department's "lower level" snow-fighting notification, as opposed to the "higher level" Snow Alert.

Based on current forecasts, flurries may be visible in parts of the City Friday morning, but the precipitation will primarily begin as rain, transitioning to snow in the late afternoon and continuing intermittently for several hours. Ground temperatures are expected to remain at or slightly above freezing, meaning slick, slushy roadways are possible. Accumulation of snow is likely limited to a half inch on grassy surfaces, but there is currently a roughly 10% chance that temperatures drop further and accumulation reaches two inches on roadways.

As such, DSNY is filling hundreds of salt spreaders in every part of the City, and is prepared to pre-treat both car and bike lanes citywide the moment conditions warrant. The Department has approximately 700 million pounds of salt on hand, a historically high wintertime headcount, and new high-tech ways of tracking snow operations.

New Yorkers are requested to stay off the roads so that Sanitation Workers can fight winter weather safely.

In a snow event, New York City's Sanitation Workers cover our streets, highways, and bike lanes, but all residents should remember that clearing snow from sidewalks is the property owners' responsibility. Property owners must to do their part to make sure that the sidewalks are passable.

All winter weather information and information about the City's response to the storm can be found by visiting the City's Severe Weather website at nyc.gov/severeweather or by calling 311.

Operations Update

Thanks to historic investments in DSNY, the Department's Workers and equipment are more prepared for winter weather than ever before.

Every street is on a route, and unlike in past years, every route can be dispatched at the same time, bringing equity in snow clearance to the entire City. Thanks to historic investments in DSNY, bike lanes will also be serviced simultaneously alongside car lanes. DSNY will be tracking these operations via the new Bladerunner 2.0 platform.

In the unlikely event that a plowable depths of 2" or more are reached, residents will be able to track the progress of DSNY snow removal vehicles at nyc.gov/PlowNYC. Remember, a plowed or salted street will not show blacktop right away.

Trash/Recycling Collection

There is no change to DSNY collection or to bin requirements at this time.

Snow Clearing Information

While DSNY clears streets and bike lanes, property owners are responsible for clearing sidewalks. As a reminder, property owners, including restaurants with outdoor dining structures, may NOT push snow into the street, including bike lanes. This impedes snow clearing operations and is illegal. Snow may be moved against the building, to the curb line, or areas on private property. Sidewalks should be passable for all pedestrians, including a minimum 4-foot clear path, where possible.

If the snow stops falling between:

  • 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., property owners must clear sidewalks within 4 hours
  • 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., property owners must clear sidewalks within 14 hours
  • 9 p.m. and 7 a.m., property owners must clear sidewalks by 11 a.m.

The fine for failure to clear sidewalks is $100 for the first offense, $150 for the second offense and $250 for the third offense.

Alternate Side Parking

There is no change to Alternate Side Parking or to parking meter regulations due to this very minor snow event.

New Yorkers are also encouraged to sign up for NotifyNYC, the City's free emergency notification system, available in 14 languages including ASL. Through NotifyNYC, New Yorkers can sign up to receive phone calls, text messages, and emails alerts about severe weather events and emergencies. To sign up for Notify NYC, call 311, visit nyc.gov/notify or follow @NotifyNYC on Twitter.

Find information on Sanitation snow operations along with residents' responsibilities during and after snow at nyc.gov/snow.

The official End of Storm was December 21 at 9:30 a.m.