NYC rolls out huge ‘hot tubs’ to melt snow after whiteout winter storm

New York City has brought out massive hot tubs to tackle the aftermath of Sunday’s deadly winter storm for the first time in nearly five years. Eight “snow melters” were deployed Tuesday morning to clear streets, sidewalks, and bus stops of snow that could otherwise linger for weeks due to the city’s persistent below-freezing temperatures, city sanitation officials said Wednesday.

“The snow is just not melting at all, and we want to make sure there’s enough space for businesses and pedestrians to get around safely,” Acting Department of Sanitation Commissioner Javier Lojan told The Post.

He added, “In the next couple of days, New Yorkers will notice the difference.”

Massive snow-melting hot tubs have been deployed by the city across the Big Apple – for the first time in nearly five years – to melt lingering snow from Sunday’s winter storm. Matthew McDermott

A large orange front-end loader filling a "WIDE LOAD" truck with snow in a snowy city street, with skyscrapers in the background. — The hot tubs – which can melt roughly 60-120 tons of snow per hour – are stationed at sites like Broad and Water streets in lower Manhattan (above). Matthew McDermott

Each hot tub can melt roughly 60 to 120 tons of snow per hour. The tubs are stationed at locations including Broad and Water streets in lower Manhattan, where football field-sized piles of snow are dumped into the tubs, heated to 38 degrees Fahrenheit. The melted water is then safely drained into the city’s sewer system with permission from the Department of Environmental Protection. Locations are selected based on where DSNY can secure environmental approval, Lojan said.

The last time the city fully deployed the tubs was February 2021, after a massive nor’easter blanketed the area. The tubs were used in a limited capacity in February 2022. Winter Storm Fern dumped nearly 15 inches of snow in some parts of the city, including 11.4 inches in Central Park and 14.9 inches in Washington Heights—the first time a storm dropped over a foot of snow since 2021.

A worker watches as a snow melter and a front-end loader move snow. — The last time the hot tubs were fully deployed was in February 2021 after a monster nor’easter pummeled the city with several rounds of snow. Matthew McDermott

Two orange front-end loaders with large piles of snow in front of them on a city street. — Winter Storm Fern dropped nearly 15 inches on some parts of the city — including a whopping 11.4 inches of snow in Central Park and 14.9 inches in Washington Heights in upper Manhattan. Matthew McDermott

Of the 27 snow melters DSNY keeps in storage, eight are currently in use. They are stationed in Inwood and lower Manhattan; Orchard Beach in the Bronx; East New York and Red Hook in Brooklyn; Maspeth and Queensboro Hill in Queens; and South Beach in Staten Island.

New Yorkers can expect to see the hot tubs in action across the city for the next several weeks, Lojan said. Another round of snow this weekend could extend their deployment.

“It depends on this weekend’s storm how much progress we make in the next few days,” the commissioner noted. “Obviously, we’re a little far behind.”

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