On Sunday, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani surprised New Yorkers at a press conference by reversing his earlier decision and declaring a snow day, as a blizzard warning was issued ahead of what would become the city’s most powerful nor’easter in a decade. For the first time, a full travel ban was put in place, barring all but essential travel. City bikes were locked, public transportation was suspended, and businesses across the five boroughs shut their doors.

The storm had been building all week. What forecasters projected as three to four inches on Friday climbed steadily: to 6 to 8, then 13 to 17, then 18 to 24, with parts of the city ultimately seeing up to 28 inches. By Sunday evening, a citywide travel ban was in effect, closing all streets, highways, and bridges to non-essential traffic from 9:00 p.m. through noon Monday.

Heavy snow began falling overnight Sunday, intensifying rapidly in the early morning hours. By 7:42 a.m., an official spotter had already recorded 18 inches on the ground in Crown Heights. Snowfall rates reached two to four inches per hour at peak, with wind gusts of 40 to 60 mph driving the snow sideways and reducing visibility to near zero.

By 12:39 p.m., the official Crown Heights total stood at 21 inches, among the highest recorded anywhere in the five boroughs. The winds began easing through the afternoon, with light snow lingering into the early evening before tapering off. “New York City continues to meet the urgency of this historic blizzard, and we will not stop until the storm has passed and our city is fully up and moving again,” said Mayor Mamdani at a Monday afternoon briefing. “Though the travel ban has lifted, conditions on the road are still icy and dangerous, and we encourage New Yorkers to take public transportation if needed, stay indoors when possible, and stay informed through Notify NYC.”

Both Oholei Torah and Lubavitch Yeshiva held learning on Monday morning across multiple locations throughout the neighborhood, with adjusted schedules running from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Both mosdos left attendance to parental discretion, given conditions.

The blizzard also stranded roughly 1,500 Jewish teenagers from 60 countries who had attended CTeen International’s annual Shabbaton. With flights canceled across the East Coast, CTeen extended its programming with workshops and farbrengens for those remaining in New York. For many of the teens, who came from as far as Australia, Brazil, and Barcelona, it was their first encounter with snow. “The Rebbe taught us that one is never stuck,” said Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, Chairman of CTeen International. “We can’t always control our situations, but we can control how we respond.”

Shomrim dispatched volunteers to JFK Airport with food, water, and logistical support for stranded teens, and arranged buses to bring groups back to Crown Heights.

The city announced an official end of the storm at 4:30 pm, requiring property owners to shovel their sidewalk by 8:30 pm, including a four-foot path for wheelchairs and strollers, as well as around any curb ramps, fire hydrants, and unsheltered bus stops in front of their property.

With temperatures expected to drop into the mid-20s overnight, slush and any partial melting on sidewalks and roads is forecast to refreeze, leaving icy conditions into Tuesday morning. Residents heading out Monday evening should exercise caution. Tuesday is expected to bring partial sun and temperatures in the mid-to-upper 30s, which should begin to accelerate melting across the neighborhood. The rest of the week looks cold and largely dry through midweek, with a couple of lighter snow chances possible later in the week – nothing approaching the scale of today’s storm.

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