With Brooklyn buried under more than a foot of snow and one of the decade’s most intense blizzards raging on, New Yorkers are being urged to stay indoors, and to seek out warming centers if they lose heat or need shelter.
Snow began falling Sunday afternoon and is expected to continue through Monday afternoon. According to the National Weather Service, snowfall totals so far have reached as high as 18 inches in parts of Kings County. During the most intense parts of the storm, snow came down at up to two inches per hour, driven by fierce gusts topping 60 miles per hour, creating whiteout conditions that made travel “treacherous and potentially life-threatening.”
A travel ban remains in effect until at least noon Monday, with blizzard warnings continuing until 6 p.m.
Amid the dangerous cold and ongoing storm, New York City’s emergency warming centers are now open, with additional facilities activated under the city’s Code Blue policy. Temperatures in the city hovered around 30 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday, per the NWS, with wind chill values between 15 and 20 degrees and temperatures expected to drop in the evening.
Under Code Blue conditions, more than 50 hospitals citywide and all New York City Department of Homeless Services drop-in centers follow a full open-door policy. Anyone seeking shelter will not be turned away.
Here are the warming spaces available in Brooklyn, according to 311:
Midwood High School
2839 Bedford Ave. in Flatbush
Open Sunday 7 a.m.-Monday 8 p.m.
Urban Assembly for Law and Justice
283 Adams St. in Downtown Brooklyn
Open Sunday 7 a.m.-Monday 8 p.m.
NYC Health+Hospitals/Kings County
451 Clarkson Ave. in East Flatbush
Open 24/7
NYC Health+Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health
2601 Ocean Parkway in Sheepshead Bay
Open 24/7
NYC Health+Hospitals/Woodhull
760 Broadway in Bed-Stuy
Open 24/7
The Gathering Place Drop-In Center
2402 Atlantic Ave. in Crown Heights
Open 24/7
Warming Buses
For those closer to transit hubs, warming buses are also available
Coney Island Stillwell Avenue
Outside the Subway station entrance
Open daily from 12 a.m.-5 a.m.
NYC Health+Hospitals/Woodhull
760 Broadway in Bed-Stuy
Open Sunday 7 p.m.-Tuesday 7 a.m.
City officials urge New Yorkers to call 311 if they encounter anyone who appears to be experiencing homelessness and exposed to the cold. Outreach teams will be dispatched immediately.
