New York City's War Against Winter: Sanitation Department Unleashes Giant Hot Tub Snow-Melters
As a record-breaking blizzard dumped heavy snow on the Big Apple, New Yorkers were bracing themselves for an extended winter weather crisis. To combat the issue, the city's sanitation department has turned to an unlikely tool – massive hot tubs capable of melting up to 160 tons of snow per hour.
Deployed across Manhattan and other boroughs, these gigantic machines have been a part of the city's snow-clearing arsenal for at least 20 years. The eight units currently in operation are working tirelessly to thaw the heavy snow that has obstructed streets, sidewalks, crosswalks, and bus stops since Sunday.
While sanitation officials acknowledge the pressure to clear public spaces, they stress that melting the snow is crucial to prevent it from sitting on the streets for an extended period. "If we don't melt it, it'll sit there for a while," said acting Sanitation Commissioner Javier Lojan. "We want to melt because it's not going to go away anywhere anytime soon."
To support the hot tubs, the city has hired 500 emergency snow shovelers to clear sidewalks and bus stops on a temporary basis. The storm was the first of its magnitude for Lojan, who took over the agency in November 2024.
Despite the efforts, some New Yorkers are frustrated with the slow pace of recovery. Commuters like Victoria Azarian were left stranded when an entire block of Broad Street was closed to traffic due to massive snow mounds. "So now I'll take another route, which will take me twice as long," she said, exasperated.
Sanitation officials emphasize that property owners are primarily responsible for clearing the majority of sidewalks, but the city is exploring ways to improve its snow-clearing process in the future. Mayor Zohran Mamdani has received largely positive reviews for his handling of the storm so far, although some have complained about hazardous crosswalks remaining uncleared.
The prolonged winter weather crisis has claimed at least 10 lives since Friday amid freezing temperatures.
As a record-breaking blizzard dumped heavy snow on the Big Apple, New Yorkers were bracing themselves for an extended winter weather crisis. To combat the issue, the city's sanitation department has turned to an unlikely tool – massive hot tubs capable of melting up to 160 tons of snow per hour.
Deployed across Manhattan and other boroughs, these gigantic machines have been a part of the city's snow-clearing arsenal for at least 20 years. The eight units currently in operation are working tirelessly to thaw the heavy snow that has obstructed streets, sidewalks, crosswalks, and bus stops since Sunday.
While sanitation officials acknowledge the pressure to clear public spaces, they stress that melting the snow is crucial to prevent it from sitting on the streets for an extended period. "If we don't melt it, it'll sit there for a while," said acting Sanitation Commissioner Javier Lojan. "We want to melt because it's not going to go away anywhere anytime soon."
To support the hot tubs, the city has hired 500 emergency snow shovelers to clear sidewalks and bus stops on a temporary basis. The storm was the first of its magnitude for Lojan, who took over the agency in November 2024.
Despite the efforts, some New Yorkers are frustrated with the slow pace of recovery. Commuters like Victoria Azarian were left stranded when an entire block of Broad Street was closed to traffic due to massive snow mounds. "So now I'll take another route, which will take me twice as long," she said, exasperated.
Sanitation officials emphasize that property owners are primarily responsible for clearing the majority of sidewalks, but the city is exploring ways to improve its snow-clearing process in the future. Mayor Zohran Mamdani has received largely positive reviews for his handling of the storm so far, although some have complained about hazardous crosswalks remaining uncleared.
The prolonged winter weather crisis has claimed at least 10 lives since Friday amid freezing temperatures.
they just make cities look like a bad theme park 
the environmental impact of those things is massive too! all that energy consumption just to thaw out some snow 
and 500 emergency shovelers? what about hiring people to develop better, more efficient snow-clearing tech instead of throwing money at temporary fixes 
they're like something out of a sci-fi movie! but on the other hand, i kinda think it's genius 
i mean, who needs snowplows when you can just melt the snow away? but at the same time, 500 emergency shovelers to clear sidewalks and bus stops? that seems like way too many people for the job 
plus, some ppl are saying it's gonna take forever to clear the streets, which is annoying 
gotta stay positive tho! maybe this hot tub thing will actually work its magic 
But at the same time, I can see how not clearing the streets and sidewalks could be super frustrating for people. It's like they're trying to find a balance between keeping everyone safe and making it easy for people to get around. 
I mean come on, giant hot tubs to melt snow? It's like they're giving up already! The city should be working on a more permanent solution, not just throwing money at the problem with these massive machines. And what about those 500 emergency shovelers? Isn't that gonna burn out quickly? 
I'm also worried about the safety of those crosswalks, uncleared and all. Mayor Mamdani needs to step up his game and make sure the city is better prepared for this kind of thing in the future 
They're literally melting the snow at an alarming rate and it's just gonna leave a mess behind when it thaws out again 
. And don't even get me started on how much money this is gonna cost 
. 500 of them, wow that's a lot! 
And to think they're getting paid to clear sidewalks while others like Victoria Azarian have to take the long route because some properties aren't getting cleaned in time 
. We should be glad the city is taking steps to improve its snow-clearing process 
, even if it's a slow start. Fingers crossed it gets better soon! 
. But seriously, it's crazy how much pressure the sanitation department is under to keep up with the snow. 500 emergency shovelers on top of those giant hot tubs is just nuts 
. I feel for commutes like Victoria Azarian, that's no way to spend your day. And yeah, property owners should be responsible for clearing most sidewalks, but it's good the city is looking into ways to improve their snow-clearing process for next time... let's hope it doesn't come down again anytime soon 
.
This whole thing is giving me whiplash 
!
who's gonna pay for all this maintenance & repairs? I feel 4 the commutes, i was stuck in traffic 2o mins already & it's not even lunchtime 
. Can we pls just get a decent spring w/o freezing to death? 
here's a quick mind map of the situation: