As Mayor Mamdani dashed kids’ hopes of a snow day next week, the MTA said it was preparing for potential buildup of snow and ice on aboveground subway lines.
The MTA will work to keep aboveground service on elevated tracks running as long as the third rail is clear and train operators have visibility, transit sources told The News. If the situation becomes untenable, though, service could be suspended.
The MTA has staged four of its eight de-icer trains throughout the system. They will begin running along aboveground lines tomorrow morning. Once precipitation begins, the trains will continue running in between passenger trains to keep the third rail clear. As snow falls, the MTA’s ten snowblower trains will also help keep the rails clean.
Meanwhile Friday, Mamdani told students and parents to be ready for a day of virtual learning on Monday if the weekend’s storm makes an in-person day impossible. Schoolchildren are being sent home on Friday with their devices to be ready for remote learning, and parents will know by noon on Sunday whether their tots will be staying home or not, the mayor said at a storm briefing on Friday.
The storm, forecast to be the biggest in nearly five years, could dump more than a foot of snow on the five boroughs, with snowfall starting Saturday evening and continuing into Monday. The Big Apple could see between eight and 18 inches of snow, Mamdani said.
Two-thousand sanitation workers will start extended 12-hour shifts on Saturday to prep, salt and brine the streets, and when snowfall hits two inches, an extra 700 salt spreaders and 2,200 snowplows will be deployed, Mamdani said.
Other agencies, like the Parks Department are also ready to pitch in on plowing efforts, and the mayor’s office is in communications with the MTA and others, as well, Mamdani said.
“I feel quite confident in the abilities of those around me and in those who work for the city,” Mamdani said. “And frankly, I’m thankful for their work… It’s going to be round the clock from a number of different agencies.”
But that doesn’t mean NYC kids will be out sledding Monday instead of being in classes, albeit remotely.
“We take it very seriously when we call for a remote school day, because we know that it has an impact on parents’ lives,” Mamdani said. “So we want to both be respectful of their lives and give them enough time to make the plans, if necessary for a change.”
The mayor said that the lack of a real snow day was not “for a lack of trying” from students: One student even found his wife’s email and pleaded their case for a snow day to her.
“They apparently made some great points,” Mamdani quipped in an early morning appearance on NY1.
Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels said that schools was working to “stress test” the system to ensure students can log on without any technical meltdowns.
“I’m very, very confident, after having worked with so many of our partners to make sure that this is going to be successful in the login process,” he said, nodding to a chaotic snow day in 2024 where students had issues accessing online classes.
Temperatures are forecast to plunge into the teens on Friday evening and stay below freezing all the way through Wednesday.
Starting Friday evening, a Code Blue will be in effect, meaning outreach workers will canvas the streets to help homeless New Yorkers get to warmth.
Gov. Hochul declared a state of emergency for the whole state on Friday. Mamdani directed New Yorkers to stay inside as much as possible during the storm.
“Watch the snow come down, watch the worst possible reality TV show you can find, and take some time away from the roads, because while this is going to be a big storm,” Mamdani said.
With Cayla Bamberger
