DSNY Issues Winter Operations Advisory for Thursday, February 6 at 1:00 a.m.

February 5, 2025

Possibility of dangerous ice developing during Thursday morning commute – New Yorkers strongly urged to travel carefully!

The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) has issued a Winter Operations Advisory for Thursday, February 6, 2025, beginning at 1:00 a.m. A Winter Operations Advisory is the Department's "lower level" snow-fighting notification, as opposed to the "higher level" Snow Alert.

Current forecasts suggest that precipitation will begin in the early morning hours and continue through the morning commute, transitioning from snow to rain at some point later in the day. The lack of agreement among forecasters regarding the exact timing of this transition creates the necessity of a robust snow-fighting plan – if rain comes in early, New Yorkers may see little visible precipitation, but if it comes later, it may be freezing rain that essentially “locks in” accumulated snow. Anywhere from very little snow to three or four inches may be possible, and the Department always plans for a worst-case scenario to keep New Yorkers safe.

As such, DSNY is brining both car lanes and bike lanes today, Wednesday, and will begin salt operations at the start of this Winter Operations Advisory. The combination of brine and salt will limit accumulation of snow and ice accretion.

More than 700 salt spreaders are filled and ready to go, and 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 should know: DSNY is working to ensure your safety. Do your part both for yourself and for the Strongest by staying off the roads during active precipitation or, if you absolutely must drive, by doing so slowly, safely, and carefully.

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/snow 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 and car owners 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

Alternate Side Parking rules are suspended Thursday to facilitate winter weather operations. Meter rules are in effect.

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.

Press Release #25-008