Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a remote learning day Monday for nearly a million public school students, with up to a foot of snow expected to fall on the city over the weekend. Frigid temperatures may have already contributed to the death of five people in the city.
“As snowfall begins to blanket our city and conditions become hazardous, closing school buildings is a necessary step to keep New Yorkers safe,” the mayor said early Sunday in a press release. He had already ruled out Friday a traditional “snow day,” which wouldn’t have any remote classes.
Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels stressed that the city was prepared for remote learning, after major issues during the last remote learning day in 2024.
“I am grateful to our school communities for the work they’ve done over the last several days — from stress-testing technology to securing buildings and getting virtual classrooms ready,” he said in a statement. “This was a difficult decision made with the safety of every family in mind, and I thank you for your flexibility.”
Five people were found dead across the city before the snow even started to fall early Sunday, Mamdani shared late Saturday, as temperatures fell well below freezing .
“There is no more powerful reminder of the dangers of extreme cold and how vulnerable some of our neighbors are,” he said during a Sunday storm briefing.
By 2 p.m Sunday, some parts of the city including Sheepshead Bay and Bay Ridge in Brooklyn had 8 inches of snow, with more expected to fall across the day, according to the National Weather Service.
The precipitation would switch to sleet and freezing rain by Sunday afternoon.
There could be up to a foot of snow once it’s finally over, forecasters said. A week of frigid temperatures, the coldest stretch since 2018, ensures the snow sticks around for days, which could also cause disruptions.
Strong wind gusts of up to 30 mph were forecasted through Monday.
Mamdani, in his first logistical test as mayor, began the day visiting with sanitation workers in Bushwick for their 6 a.m. shift change. Around 2,500 sanitation workers moved to 12-hour shifts on Saturday for snow removal preparation.
The mayor urged New Yorkers to stay at home if they could and to limit travel as much as possible. Sanitation crews told him there were “far too many” drivers on the roads, making it more difficult to plow, he said.
“The single most helpful thing that New Yorkers can do is to stay at home and especially to stay off the roads,” he said during his briefing. .
“Please, if you can avoid it, do not drive.”
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