Snowstorm Drops About Nine Inches in New York as Mayor Mamdani Oversees Response

A major snowstorm dumped about nine inches of snow across New York City on Sunday, blanketing streets and high-rises and prompting a large city response as Mayor Zohran Mamdani faced his first major governing test. City officials reported multiple people found dead outdoors during the cold.

Transit continued to operate with delays and limited service: many subway lines ran late, the 7, L and Q were partly suspended, NYC Ferry halted all service, and NJ Transit suspended all bus, rail and light rail. City agencies had pre-salted highways and major streets beginning Friday and deployed more than 700 salt spreaders and 2,200 plow vehicles.

Mr. Mamdani gave regular updates via social media and a news conference and shared a video of himself shoveling to help a motorist; officials said there were no reports of widespread power outages as of Sunday afternoon. Officials said five people had been found dead on Saturday, though the medical examiner had not yet determined whether they died from the cold, and two more people were found on Sunday, including a homeless person discovered on a park bench in Jackson Heights whom state senator Jessica Ramos said had frozen to death.

The city opened 10 warming centers and outreach workers made about 86 placements to shelters or care, with a "very small number" involuntary, according to the Social Services Department.

Key Topics

Politics, Zohran Mamdani, New York City, Jackson Heights, Central Park, Nyc Ferry