Watch Your Step! A New Mayor and the Season’s Stubborn Snowfall

Photography by Jayden Pantoja

By Fiona Fahey

January 25, 2026 was not a typical Sunday in New York City. As New Yorkers huddled indoors and prepared for the start of a new week, approximately 11.4 inches of snow fell atop the vast terrain of Manhattan’s Central Park. Surrounding neighborhoods in Brooklyn and northeastern Queens saw snow totals nearing 10 to 12 inches. School and workplace closures swiftly followed, and residents of the five boroughs awaited the implementation of the city’s projected cleanup plan. Mounds of snow soon transformed into hefty sheets of ice, though, and the fast-paced streets of the nation’s financial capital began to slow down. Nearly a month later, New Yorkers continue to navigate a frozen city, wondering if they have been left out in the cold. 

New York City has an extensive history of unpleasant winter weather. The five boroughs have borne witness to multiple snowstorms over the last decade, and City Hall’s response to emergency weather conditions are oftentimes scrutinized. Past mayors, such as Bill de Blasio (2014-2021), have recognized that storms emphasize the city’s need to plan accordingly for unpredictable situations.

Prior to the recent snowstorm’s stunning arrival, New York City’s newly-elected mayor, Zohran Mamdani, assured New Yorkers that his administration was “fully mobilized, with agencies working hand in hand around the clock.” 700 salt spreaders and 2,200 plows are said to have been deployed citywide, and Mamdani himself was seen assisting Brooklyn residents in their shoveling efforts as snow totals quickly rose.

February soon reared its head, and these collective efforts proved to be no match for the bitter chill sweeping the tri-state area. Temperatures in New York City dropped to 3 degrees on February 8 while sharp winds brought “real feel” measurements into subzero territory. Soft snow hardened into compact heaps of ice and travelling around the five boroughs became a difficult task.

In an attempt to clear slippery roads, plows began pushing snow and ice onto the city streets, rendering many parking spaces and bus stops virtually unusable. Trash bags and animal wastes accumulated against the icy piles, causing more trouble for commuters.

"I have to be standing in the road,” one bus rider told CBS News. “Just now, a car saw me, and came real close to me, which is not safe.” 

Along with the congested sidewalks, nearly 2,000 Brooklyn residents were left without power for days after a major Con-Edison outage caused by sleet seeping into underground power systems. Buses were converted into impromptu warming centers, and many New Yorkers found the city’s reaction to the winter blast to be unsubstantial. 

Photography by Jayden Pantoja

Effectively responding to the unforgiving winter storm is being viewed by some as Mamdani’s first major challenge as the new mayor of New York City. During a February 9 press conference, it was revealed that 18 New Yorkers lost their lives amidst the city’s freezing temperatures. Mamdani promised to continue to expand upon cleanup efforts and urged all residents to find immediate shelter. 

"What we're doing at this time is doubling down on all of our efforts to connect any New Yorker who's outside with shelter, with warmth, and with safety," he told reporters.

Some New Yorkers felt that there was more work to do. Despite deploying hundreds of additional sanitation workers around the five boroughs, rock-hard snow and trash-ridden streets left residents with a negative first impression of the new mayor.

“The mayor should have done a better job,” one New Yorker told the Post. “There’s no parking at all, and you have to fight for yourself.”

Some New York City officials shared a similar sentiment. City Councilwoman Shahana Hanif took to X, calling the storm “unmanageable” and requesting that Con-Edison and Mamdani prioritize “urgent coordination and clear communication.” 

Mamdani continued to assure New Yorkers of his administration’s determination and argued that the clearing of blocked sidewalks and bus stops was the job of landlords and property owners. Above all else, he emphasized the city’s need to unite and help one another out of yet another brutal New York City winter. 

“This cold is persistent, this snow is stubborn, and this danger is real,” he declared. “That means this work takes longer, and it takes all of us.”

While Mamdani remains open to the criticism of New Yorkers, residents of the five boroughs hope that an upcoming rise in temperature may put an end to some of the storm’s lasting effects. The city is also said to be melting more than 30 million pounds of snow every day as the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) works to ease transportation delays.

As the nation’s most populated city tugs its boots out of weeks-old snow and ice, New Yorkers’ need for unity and effective action skates on.

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Fiona is a soon-to-be junior and native New Yorker who is majoring in Communications and Media Studies. Her dream is to work in a busy newsroom in the heart of Manhattan. She spends her spare time filling her ears with Irish music, showing her family members terrible films, and hanging around the five boroughs with her friends.