The Bronx faced whiteout conditions and record snowfall Monday as the city’s first blizzard in a decade prompted Mayor Zohran Mamdani to declare a local state of emergency and activate warming centers across all five boroughs. The storm’s intensity far exceeded initial forecasts of light snow expected Sunday night with up to 2 inches possible across NYC, catching many residents off guard.

By 7:15 a.m. Monday, 17.9 inches of snow had fallen in Mott Haven, with Co-op City recording 14.8 inches by 10:15 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. The totals have already surpassed the 13.5 inches recorded in Fordham during Winter Storm Fern.

Mamdani declared the emergency Sunday night and restricted travel for non-emergency vehicles until noon Monday. The Bronx, Manhattan, and western Brooklyn are expected to see the heaviest snowfall, with up to 22 inches possible by the end of the storm, according to New York City Emergency Management.

Wind gusts reached up to 61 miles per hour in Fordham by 6:30 a.m., contributing to near-zero visibility and hazardous road conditions across the borough.

The mayor announced a rare snow day for city schools - not remote learning - marking the first full snow day since 2019.

Transit service faced significant disruptions Monday. The 1, 4, 5, 6, B and D trains are running with severe delays in both directions, while buses operate with chains on their tires but at reduced frequency as drivers wait for streets to be plowed.

The New York City Department of Sanitation deployed 2,300 plows and 700 salt spreaders citywide, with more than 2,600 sanitation workers operating on 12-hour shifts to clear highways, bus routes and residential streets, according to Mamdani.

After facing criticism over snow removal during Winter Storm Fern, the administration took additional steps ahead of this storm on Saturday. The city brought in outside mechanical snow-clearing equipment in advance and expanded geocoded tracking of bus stops, locations where unsheltered individuals gather, crosswalks and pedestrian ramps to speed up clearing efforts.

Officials also mandated that at least a four-foot path be cleared on sidewalks to accommodate wheelchairs and said agencies would pay increased attention to clearing fire hydrants, crosswalks and bus stops near city properties.

An enhanced Code Blue is now in effect as temperatures remain below freezing. The city is operating five 24-hour warming shelters in the Bronx for at-risk New Yorkers seeking refuge from the cold.

Those locations include NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi at 1400 Pelham Parkway South; NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln at 234 East 149th Street; NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx at 3424 Kossuth Avenue; and The Living Room Drop-In Center at 800 Barretto Street at Lafayette Avenue. All operate 24 hours a day.

Additional temporary warming shelters opened at DeWitt Clinton High School at 100 West Mosholu Parkway; Gompers Campus at 455 Southern Boulevard; and Stevenson Campus at 1980 Lafayette Avenue, operating from Sunday at 7 a.m. through Monday at 8 p.m.

A warming bus is stationed at 149th Street and Third Avenue from Sunday at 7 p.m. through Tuesday at 7 a.m. An additional overnight warming location operates outside NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln near the emergency department entrance daily from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Officials urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel to allow emergency vehicles and sanitation crews to move freely. Snow removal operations will continue around the clock as the storm moves through the region.

Residents can receive up-to-date information by signing up for Notify NYC by texting ‘NOTIFYNYC’ to 692-692 to get citywide emergency updates.