DSNY Issues Snow Alert for Saturday, December 13 at 7 p.m.
With 1 to 3 inches of snow expected this weekend, New York’s Strongest will begin spreading brine on 700 lane miles of highways at midnight tonight.
The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) has issued a Snow Alert for Saturday, December 13, 2025, beginning at 7 p.m., running through 2 p.m. Sunday. A Snow Alert is the Department’s “higher level” snow-fighting notification, as opposed to the “lower level” Winter Operations Advisory.
Precipitation will begin as early as 9 p.m. Saturday, continuing as late as noon Sunday, with heaviest bands of snow likely to fall Sunday between 1 and 5 a.m. Most forecasts anticipate 1 to 3 inches of snow though, as always, New York’s Strongest remain prepared for any amount of precipitation.
DSNY personnel will activate its GPS room — featuring the new Bladerunner 2.0 tracking operation — this evening to begin highway brining operations. Applying brine before snow begins falling helps reduce accumulations on roadways. In past storms of this nature, DSNY has applied brine to highway ramps and shoulders in anticipation of falling snow. This year, with new investments in brine equipment, the Department will not only apply brine to ramps and shoulders, but also the main beds of all highways – a total of 700 lane miles — starting at midnight tonight.
More than 700 salt spreaders are filled and ready to go, and the Department has approximately 700 million pounds of salt on hand. DSNY will begin spreading salt on roads, highways and bike lanes at the first sign of precipitation, and will begin plowing when and if snow depths reach two inches.
At this time, there is no anticipated change to collection operations Monday, and New Yorkers should continue to follow their regular schedule for trash, recycling, and compostable material unless otherwise notified.
New Yorkers should know: DSNY is working to ensure your safety. Do your part both for yourself and for the Strongest by staying off the roads during active precipitation or, if you absolutely must drive, by doing so slowly, safely and carefully.
In a snow event, New York City’s Sanitation Workers cover our streets, highways and bike lanes, but all residents should remember that clearing snow from sidewalks is the property owners’ responsibility. Property owners must to do their part to make sure that the sidewalks are passable.
All winter weather information and information about the City’s response to the storm can be found by visiting the City’s Severe Weather website at nyc.gov/snow or by calling 311. ... See MoreSee Less

Snow Response - DSNY
nyc.gov
In the winter, you can see us spreading salt, plowing, and melting and hauling away snow. But for us, snow response is a year-round process. We plan and organize months before winter weather condition...