When Did Your Street Last See A Snow Plow?

NEW YORK, NY— More than 2,600 New York City sanitation workers took to the streets before dawn, maneuvering plows through wind-whipped avenues and spreading salt over the heaviest snow accumulations.

By mid-afternoon, crews had reached nearly every street in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens at least once.

According to a Patch analysis, Midtown avenues and Upper East Side streets, like E 77th St and Ave of the Americas, were plowed and marked Critical for urgent clearance. Nearby neighborhoods including Harlem, East Harlem, and Chelsea saw streets like W 130th St, E 107th St, and W 23rd St cleared between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., with times noted as Sector or Narrow to indicate plow priority and street width challenges.

Neighborhoods in Brooklyn, including Bed-Stuy, Bushwick, and Williamsburg, saw plows on Gates Ave, Menahan St, and Broadway around mid-afternoon, all marked Critical, signaling priority for heavy traffic or narrow streets. Sunset Park and Fort Greene had Sector designations as crews addressed secondary routes.

Queens neighborhoods reported similar coverage. Astoria’s 28th Ave and Long Island City’s 21st St were cleared by mid-to-late afternoon, both Critical routes. Streets in Jackson Heights had no data, as snow totals and vehicle access delayed plow operations.

Vincent Gragnani, press secretary for the Department of Sanitation, said crews will continue sweeping streets into the overnight hours.

"At this point, crews have cleared nearly every street at least once. We'll continue day and night until streets are fully passable," Gragnani said.
Roughly 700 salt spreaders and more than 2,000 plows moved along main thoroughfares first, targeting high-traffic corridors. Emergency shovelers — about 1,000 strong — followed behind to clear crosswalks, fire hydrants, and pedestrian infrastructure that machinery could not reach.

Snow totals varied across the city: Central Park measured just under 10 inches, while Coney Island reported 16 inches. Wind gusts between 40 and 60 mph pushed snow back onto freshly cleared streets, complicating the operation.

"We can plow a street, and then moments later, wind is blowing snow back onto it," Gragnani said.

City officials restricted travel early Sunday, closing bridges, tunnels, highways, and streets to all but essential vehicles. Subway, Metro-North, and Long Island Rail Road service faced delays and partial suspensions, while thousands of customers lost power.

Temperatures are expected to remain moderate after the storm, avoiding the extreme sub-freezing conditions that followed the previous snow event, Gragnani said.

Outside, crews circled back to plow cleared streets again, scraping pavement as snowfall continued. Priority neighborhoods will be revisited overnight, ensuring Critical corridors remain open and all streets are passable in time for morning commuters. Find your exact street on PlowNYC's website.

Neighborhood Status Updates (Time Visited / Priority)

Manhattan

• Upper East Side – E 77 St – 2:11 p.m. – Critical
• Upper West Side – W 85 St – 2:13 p.m. – Critical
• Harlem – W 130 St – 3:15 p.m. – Sector
• East Harlem – E 107 St – 3:05 p.m. – Sector
• Central Park – 86 St Transverse – 3:23 p.m. – Narrow
• Midtown – Ave of the Americas – 4:46 p.m. – Critical
• Chelsea – W 23 St – 5:05 p.m. – Critical
• Greenwich Village – W 4 St – 1:43 p.m. – Sector
• East Village – Ave B – 4:18 p.m. – Critical
• Lower East Side – Pitt St – 3:08 p.m. – Critical

Brooklyn

• Bed-Stuy – Gates Ave – 4:59 p.m. – Critical
• Bushwick – Menahan St – 3:04 p.m. – Critical
• Williamsburg – Broadway – 3:45 p.m. – Critical
• Sunset Park – 51 St – 2:58 p.m. – Sector
• Fort Greene – Washington Park – 5:06 p.m. – Sector

Queens

• Astoria – 28 Ave – 4:26 p.m. – Sector
• Long Island City – 21 St – 5:11 p.m. – Critical