NYC Mayor Mamdani Shovels Snow in Deadly Cold Snap

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, in his first major weather crisis since taking office last month, joined residents in Brooklyn to shovel snow during Winter Storm Fern over the weekend while overseeing an expanded emergency response to the ensuing cold snap that has claimed at least 10 lives.

The storm dumped heavy snow across the city starting Saturday, January 24, 2026, paralyzing travel and blanketing streets before giving way to frigid temperatures. The National Weather Service issued a Cold Weather Advisory for all five boroughs, forecasting wind chills as low as 6 degrees below zero overnight into Tuesday. Mamdani described the conditions during a City Hall briefing as the coldest the city has experienced in eight years.

On Sunday, Mamdani ventured into snow-covered neighborhoods in Clinton Hill and Williamsburg, where he assisted residents in digging out vehicles stuck along Myrtle Avenue and nearby streets. Videos captured the mayor wielding a shovel, though his technique drew public attention after he acknowledged straining his back. New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Buffalo native familiar with severe winters, offered guidance on proper shoveling during a state...