Massive Northeast Snowstorm Leaves Cities Battling Towering Snow Piles

Communities across the Northeast are working frantically to remove enormous snow accumulations from this week's historic blizzard that dumped over three feet in some areas. Cities are deploying emergency crews and innovative methods like warm water dumps to tackle the massive cleanup as another storm approaches the region.

Cities throughout the Northeast are racing against time to remove massive snow accumulations left behind by this week’s historic blizzard, which buried communities from Maryland to Maine under towering drifts that show little sign of natural melting.

The colossal winter storm deposited enormous amounts of snow across the region, with communities now facing the daunting task of clearing mountainous piles that have created significant challenges for residents and emergency services alike.

New York City deployed extraordinary measures in response, distributing 143 million pounds of salt by Tuesday evening and recruiting over 3,500 emergency snow removal workers at $30 per hour, according to Mayor Zohran Mamdani. These crews are working to clear public roadways and transit stops throughout the city.

However, with forecasters predicting another weather system moving in Wednesday, significant work remains ahead, particularly regarding accessibility concerns for individuals with mobility challenges.

Jeff Peters from the Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York, painted a stark picture of conditions throughout the city, describing many areas as isolated and unreachable.

“You’ll find a portion of a sidewalk that is clear, and then there’s maybe a 6-inch (15-cm) pathway that can only be walked with one foot in front of the other and no room for a stroller, rollator, walker or crutches,” Peters said. “Then you get to the corner and not only is it unshoveled, but you have basically a glacier at the end of it.”

In Harrisville, Rhode Island, located approximately 17 miles northwest of Providence, Tina Guenette faced the challenge of clearing her property despite using a motorized wheelchair after more than 33 inches accumulated in her area.

“I really have no choice if my service dog wants to go outside,” Guenette said Tuesday. She noted that while Harrisville operates a volunteer snow removal program, no volunteers have participated in recent years.

Weather forecasters issued warnings about an additional storm system originating from the Great Lakes region that could impact the Northeast on Wednesday. This clipper system threatens to bring a mix of precipitation including rain and snow, though meteorologists expect it to be considerably less severe than Monday’s event.

NYC Emergency Management cautioned Wednesday morning travelers that predicted light snowfall combined with freezing temperatures could create hazardous conditions on roadways and walkways, including dangerous black ice formation.

Monday’s devastating storm blanketed the entire region, forcing flight cancellations, disrupting public transportation, causing widespread power outages, and claiming at least one life. Rhode Island experienced accumulations exceeding 3 feet, surpassing totals recorded during the legendary Blizzard of 1978, according to National Weather Service data.

Former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief scientist Ryan Maue provided perspective on the storm’s magnitude, calculating that if all snow that fell between Maryland and Maine had been concentrated solely on Manhattan, the accumulation would have reached over one mile in height.

In Newport, Rhode Island, authorities discovered 21-year-old Joseph Boutros unconscious inside a snow-covered vehicle Monday night, according to local police reports. The Salve Regina University student was transported to a medical facility where he was pronounced deceased due to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Educational institutions began resuming normal operations Wednesday, with major districts like Philadelphia returning to in-person instruction after switching to remote learning during the first two days of the week.

New York City’s public school system, serving more than 900,000 students nationwide’s largest, maintained regular scheduling Tuesday. Students and families navigated enormous snow banks and avoided salt-spreading equipment during morning arrival times.

Electrical service has been restored for many among the hundreds of thousands who lost power across Massachusetts, New Jersey, Delaware and Rhode Island. However, approximately 173,000 Massachusetts customers remained without electricity early Wednesday.

Air travel disruptions affected thousands of flights entering and departing the United States over recent days. By Wednesday, the situation appeared to be improving with only about 150 cancellations recorded, according to FlightAware tracking data.

Manhattan resident Jamie Meyers experienced the travel chaos firsthand when her flight from Buenos Aires, Argentina finally arrived Tuesday evening, prompting relieved passengers to break into spontaneous applause. She had been scheduled to return home Sunday but faced cancellation and substantial delays.

The National Weather Service classified Monday’s weather event as a “classic bomb cyclone/nor’easter off the Northeast coast.” This meteorological phenomenon occurs when atmospheric pressure drops by a specific amount within a 24-hour timeframe.