1 of 3 | Ice builds up in the Hudson River along the edge of the Manhattan skyline Friday as sub-freezing temperatures continue after the past weekend’s major snow storm. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
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New York City was buried under 11.4 inches of snow last weekend during the biggest winter storm in years. With few places to put it, the city turned to an unusual tool: snow melters. |
With snowbanks eating up curb space and piling up at intersections, city officials have turned to heavy-duty snow melters, massive machines that can turn truckloads of snow into water.
Online, some people have nicknamed them “snow hot tubs.” The concept is simple: snow is dumped into a heated tank, melted down, then drained into a nearby storm drain.
Call it a hot tub. Call it a jacuzzi. Call it OVER for the tons of snow piling up on our streets!
Our snow melters are out and operational in all five boroughs.
We bring snow from streets to central locations where melters turn the snow to water, giving us all a little more… pic.twitter.com/sMhTSYwQD6— NYC Sanitation (@NYCSanitation) January 28, 2026
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“Across all five boroughs, we’ve melted 23 million pounds of snow using eight snow-melting sites. Every 12-hour shift, 2,500 sanitation workers are out there clearing bus stops, crosswalks, hydrants, and other critical infrastructure,” said NYC Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani. “These are tough conditions, and these workers are doing essential work to keep this city moving.” |
Snow melters are especially useful in a dense city where there isn’t much open space to stash plowed snow. Instead of building larger piles that can block narrow streets, crews can haul snow away and reduce it on site.
That matters even more during long cold stretches, when snow doesn’t melt much on its own. Temperatures are expected to stay near or below freezing into mid-February, limiting daytime melting and allowing slush and packed snow to refreeze at night.
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Crews have also been tackling the most important spots for pedestrians and emergency access. City workers have shoveled 13,876 crosswalks, 12,696 bus stops and 4,486 fire hydrants. Officials say 116 million pounds of salt have been used to help clear snow and ice from roads across the area. “There is still more work to do,” Mamdani said. “That’s why we are bringing in hundreds more city workers from outside the Sanitation Department, extending shifts and deploying emergency equipment to get this done faster and safer.” New York City recovers after winter snowstorm
A construction vehicle delicately removes the existing snow that surrounds the Fearless Girl Statue at the entrance to the New York Stock Exchange after Sunday’s major winter snow storm on January 26, 2026. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo |
