1,600 plows and 365 salt spreaders are ready to clear the city. Photograph by Ashley Harris

By Ashley Harris

New Yorkers woke up to plump, soft snowflakes Thursday morning as yet another wintry mix blew through the Northeast. The city had barely recovered from the last snow storm before Thursday’s slush of snow and rain pummeled the city. City employees are scrambling to keep the roadways safe for commuters as forecasters predict as much as 12 inches to fall by Friday evening.

The Department of Sanitation has approximately 2,200 personnel working 12-hour split shifts, a spokesperson told the Bronx Ink. Trucks will continue to provide collection and recycling services as well as plowing and salting of streets.

Inside the dingy and dank sanitation garage at 215th Street and Broadway, workers moved swiftly to get in and out of the blistering cold. Thursday was the start of an anticipated four-day stretch of heavy snow, sleet and ice all mixed into a slushy mess.

The sanitation department has 365 salt spreaders throughout the city with 1,600 plows ready to deploy once the snow reaches two inches. Despite temperatures holding above freezing at press time, the city has 170,000 tons of rock salt ready to pour to dissipate the icy slush.

Still, with three major storms this winter, the increasing snow storms are blowing through the $41.8 million snow budget, according to Matthew Lipani, spokesman for the department.

The bad weather is linked to El Niño, a climate pattern that is much stronger than in past years, according to Richard Castro, spokesperson for the National Weather Service.

“El Niño coupled with a persistent high pressure system hovering over Greenland into Canada explains why so many storms are hitting all across the country,” he said. “The storm system keeps these storms stalling over the Northeast causing a lot of rain even after the snow tapers off.”

He anticipates that as long as El Niño stays strong, especially at the southern branch of the jet stream, New York City can continue to expect ugly storms heading into the spring.