DSNY Issues Snow Alert for Friday, December 26 at 1 p.m.

December 26, 2025

New York's Strongest have 700 salt spreaders and 2,200 plows ready to fight post-holiday winter storm

The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) has issued a Snow Alert for Friday, December 26, 2025, beginning at 1 p.m. A Snow Alert is the Department's "higher level" snow-fighting notification, as opposed to the "lower level" Winter Operations Advisory.

Precipitation will begin as early as 1 p.m. today (Friday), continuing through early afternoon tomorrow (Saturday), with plowable depths possible in parts of the City as early as 8 p.m. and the heaviest bands of snow likely to fall between 8 p.m. Friday and 1 a.m. Saturday. Most forecasts anticipate 3 to 9 inches of snow though, as always, New York’s Strongest remain prepared for any amount of precipitation before the storm ends Saturday afternoon.

DSNY activated its GPS room — featuring the new Bladerunner 2.0 tracking operation — and began highway brining operations at midnight this morning. Applying brine before snow begins falling helps reduce accumulations on roadways. This year, with new investments in brine equipment, the Department is not only applying brine to ramps and shoulders, but also the main beds of all highways, a total of 700 lane miles.

With 700 million pounds of salt on hand, DSNY has more than 700 salt spreaders filled, pre-positioned, and ready to spread salt on roads, highways and bike lanes at the first sign of precipitation. At the same time, the Department also has plows and chains attached to thousands of collection trucks and will begin plowing as soon as snow depths reach two inches. Additional city agencies – including the NYPD, Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Transportation, NYC Parks and others – may be called upon to assist DSNY fighting this storm.

The same Sanitation Workers who pick up trash, recycling and compost also operate salt spreaders and snow plows. As such, all Sanitation Workers are currently working extended shifts to both pick up post-holiday trash and clear the roads for post-holiday travel. At this time, there is no anticipated change to collection operations Friday and Saturday, and New Yorkers should continue to follow their regular schedule for trash, recycling, and compostable material unless otherwise notified. Delays may be possible.

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, preparing throughout the year for snow season.

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.

When a plowable depth of 2" or more is 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. DSNY Special Waste Sites will be closed Saturday to facilitate snow operations.

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.

Property owners with Empire Bins are responsible for clearing snow and ice from the Empire Bin to facilitate collection.

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

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/NotifyNYC 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 #25-46