NYC Records 80,000 Heat Complaints in January Cold Snap

New York City residents endured a record number of heating failures during a severe cold snap in January 2026, leaving tens of thousands without heat or hot water as temperatures dropped into the teens and below 10 degrees in some areas.

City data shows that 80,000 calls were made to the 311 hotline reporting residential heating and hot water issues that month, the highest monthly total ever recorded. Since the start of the heating season on October 1, complaints to 311 and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development have exceeded 215,000, surpassing the 187,775 logged during the same period the previous winter. The surge affected tenants in both private buildings and public housing, with many describing prolonged outages, ice-cold showers, and overnight shutoffs during the deepest freeze.

In Williamsburg, Brooklyn, tenant Alex Hughes reported over 40 days without hot water in the past 11 months, including eight or nine straight days during the recent cold. He walked 15 minutes through snow and ice to a friend's home for a shower before checking into a hotel. "We've had over 40 days of no hot water over the last 11 months," Hughes said. At the same building, 491 Keap...