As New York City braces for what could be its most severe winter storm in nearly a decade, five apparent cold-related deaths, transit disruptions, and a high-rise explosion are already bearing down hard on a city racing to prepare for worse in the days ahead.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is urging New Yorkers to stay indoors as plummeting temperatures and up to a foot of snowfall threaten to grind daily life to a halt. City agencies are mobilizing sanitation crews, streamlining transit service as Metro-North scales back operations, and considering major schooling decisions amid the storm. With emergency services strained under dangerous cold and several high-profile incidents overnight, this Sunday is shaping up to be one New Yorkers will remember, if not for the snow totals, then for the fragile line between preparedness and pressure on the ground.

Today’s Forecast

Expect harsh winter storm conditions throughout Sunday. Light snow will accumulate steadily across the day, with heavier periods expected in the afternoon and evening. Temperatures will hover between 15 and 18 degrees Fahrenheit but may feel significantly colder due to wind chills. Travel will be difficult, if not impossible, and outdoor exposure is dangerous for extended periods. City officials have advised limiting movement unless absolutely necessary. Schools, offices, and some businesses may close or operate remotely tomorrow. We’d like to encourage all of our readers to stay safe & warm today.

Share

What’s Moving Today

City leaders are making high-stakes decisions today as the winter storm promises major disruptions.

Mayor Mamdani is expected to announce by noon whether New York City public schools will shift to remote learning on Monday. The decision follows similar calls in New Jersey, including a full closure of Passaic Public Schools. This will be a pivotal moment in how the city manages education under climate strain and infrastructure challenges.

Sanitation and emergency services are fully deployed, with the mayor urging residents to remain inside and off the roads through Monday morning. In an early statement Saturday evening, Mamdani said, “We could be looking at the coldest stretch we’ve had in eight years.” Snowplows, salt trucks, and warming center resources are being prioritized across boroughs, with a particular focus on known vulnerable corridors and populations.

Meanwhile, NJ Transit has announced a systemwide service suspension in anticipation of deteriorating conditions late Sunday. Metro-North is already running on a modified schedule. These transit decisions will have ripple effects throughout the region, especially for essential workers and commuters typically reliant on weekend mobility.

On the Streets

NYC Department of Sanitation crews launched overnight plow and salt deployment across the boroughs. Priority was given to major roadways, hospital zones, and bus routes. While subways remain operational for now, transit authorities warn that elevated lines could stop suddenly if conditions worsen.

Visibility and road traction are already being affected, with emergency vehicles reporting slow travel times and increased response durations for routine calls across Upper Manhattan and in sections of Brooklyn and Queens. Commuters and delivery drivers are among the most impacted today. The city’s Department of Transportation has placed alternate side parking on hold through Tuesday and urged anyone considering non-essential driving to reconsider.

Under Pressure

As the storm intensifies, workers in both public and private sectors are navigating the competing demands of staying safe and staying open.

Healthcare and emergency workers face heightened demand. First responders, particularly FDNY units, are under exceptional load after a furnace explosion led to a major high-rise fire incident in the Eastchester section of the Bronx. One person was killed, and 15 others were injured when a gas-related fire ripped through several apartments on the 15th floor of the Boston Secor Houses early Saturday. The blast occurred during an ongoing investigation by FDNY crews into gas leak complaints, a scenario that has intensified scrutiny on aging building infrastructure under duress.

Health services are also contending with medically vulnerable populations left exposed after five people were reportedly found deceased on city streets during a stretch of nighttime lows hitting single digits. All incidents are under investigation, but early indications suggest prolonged exposure in each case. The Human Resources Administration has activated Code Blue protocols, increasing outreach to people experiencing homelessness and prioritizing rapid shelter placement in coordination with NYPD and community partners.

Hospitals and urgent care centers report a growing number of patients with cold weather-related injuries, including frostbite and respiratory issues tied to space heater use and poorly ventilated housing units.

Money & Leverage

Snowstorms highlight longstanding vulnerabilities in housing, energy access, and affordability, and this weekend is no exception.

While most of today’s headlines revolve around storm preparedness, the consequences fall unevenly. With a deadly residential fire stemming from heating issues, the financial and physical realities of staying warm in winter hit hardest for low-income New Yorkers and renters in aging buildings.

Concerns are rising about unofficial heating setups, dangerous space heaters, and limited landlord accountability in the face of extreme temperatures. The city’s heat complaint hotline has seen an uptick since Friday, officials say. Building owners are required by law to maintain minimum indoor temperatures during cold months, but enforcement can lag during weekends and holidays, when oversight thins out, and maintenance access may be delayed.

Energy bills for January are expected to rise after prolonged heating demands over the last several weeks, placing further pressure on households already wrestling with steep food and rent costs.

Still Developing

Emergency services are responding to a series of unfolding public safety threats as winter conditions bear down on the city.

Authorities confirmed Saturday that at least five people were found dead in apparently weather-related incidents. Bodies were discovered in both Brooklyn and Manhattan overnight, and initial assessments suggest these are cases of hypothermia or exposure. Investigations continue.

Separately, one person was killed and 15 others were injured in a gas-related explosion and residential fire at the Boston Secor Houses in Eastchester. The fire occurred during an FDNY investigation into a possible leak, and officials are working to assess whether infrastructure failure played a role.

While outside city jurisdiction, a shooting by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis has drawn national attention, particularly as it led to the postponement of Saturday night’s Golden State Warriors vs. Minnesota Timberwolves game. Local and federal scrutiny is increasing. The man shot and killed is believed to be a U.S. citizen. The incident will likely fuel renewed policy discussion, given similar tensions in immigrant neighborhoods in Queens and the Bronx.

City Life

Mayor Mamdani’s midday decision on schooling is front of mind for many families. With young children home and schedules disrupted, the city is recalibrating around safety and structure. While education officials hope to avoid another full closure, remote learning preparations have been quietly revived this weekend.

Cultural venues continue to operate judiciously. Carnegie Hall is set to host pianists Timo Andres and Aaron Diehl at Zankel Hall on January 28 for a program still on the weekend roster, assuming travel becomes possible. At Lincoln Center, Dámaris Bójor is scheduled for a free performance at the David Rubenstein Atrium on January 29, offering a welcome reprieve for those seeking music and warmth once the snow begins to clear.

Meanwhile, the everyday resilience of New Yorkers is again on display: groceries are stocked by the hour, neighbors shovel for one another on stoops, and street vendors still try to catch a sale between squalls. If the city holds together over the next 72 hours, and it often does, it’ll be because structure and solidarity show up where schedules and sunshine disappear.

That’s today in New York.