Snow Advisory For Tomorrow: No Outdoor Dining, ASP Suspended & All Remote Learning

BROOKLYN – Get ready for lots of snow! New York City is expected to get up to a foot of snow tomorrow, Wednesday, December 16, and is supposed to last until Thursday.

Outdoor dining on city streets will be suspended at 2 p.m. today and Alternate Side Parking rules will also be suspended both on Wednesday and Thursday.

“While the Department is expecting a significant snowfall, its workers and equipment are prepared. Salt spreaders are already filled and ready to go. Additionally, the Department’s collection trucks will be pulled from collection duty and turned into snowplows, ready to plow snow once two inches of snow has fallen,” the Department of Sanitation announced.

“Further, as conditions allow, the Department will use its “brine trucks” to apply liquid salt to some early-to-freeze roads. The brine, spread only before precipitation begins on dry streets, forms a barrier on the streets and helps keep snow and ice from accumulating. Given the specifics of this event, brine is likely to begin being sprayed on Tuesday evening.”

As for when outdoor dining can open up, the city will notify restaurants when they are allowed to do so.

“Based on the current forecast, the City estimates that this Snow Alert will be over on Thursday evening, allowing restaurants to reopen, but this may change to the morning of Friday, December 18 based on actual accumulations and roadway conditions,” the Department of Sanitation said. “At this time, the City is not asking that restaurants remove any barriers or structures for roadway dining.”

The city also announced guidance for Open Restaurants during the snow:

• Diners may not sit in roadway setups. Restaurants should remove or secure any tables and chairs in the roadway.
• All electrical heaters in the roadway must be removed.
• If possible, restaurants should remove any overhead coverings, or regularly remove the snow from overhead coverings until the snow alert ends.

As for schools, remote learning will continue during the snowstorm and extra lunch meals will be provided.

“All students will be expected to log on and engage with their work from home as they do on other days when they learn remotely. Middle and high school students who are already learning remotely every day are expected to attend school remotely, regardless of the weather, “NYC DOE Chancellor Richard Carranza announced.

“The ability to teach and learn remotely across the system allows us to continue learning despite inclement weather closures. You will still be notified as usual when we are closing buildings due to weather, but these will not be days off from learning. Your school will stay in close communication with you regarding the upcoming snowstorm predicted to affect New York City beginning the evening of Wednesday, December 16. Please note that extra meals will be available on Tuesday, December 15, and Wednesday, December 16 to take home.”