Mamdani’s first 100 days: A record-breaking winter

It was New York City’s most intense winter of the past decade. It walloped the city with not one but two major snowstorms in the two months after Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s inauguration. The first storm was followed by a prolonged period of life-threatening cold. The city got hit with a foot more snow than a typical winter, and the average temperature was 32 degrees between Dec. 21 and March 20, CBS News New York reported, more than 4 degrees below normal. That meant mountains of snow hardened into filthy ice towers that remained on city streets and sidewalks for weeks. 

Fairly or not, a new mayor is often judged by his handling of his first winter storm. For Mamdani, there were both victories and major challenges. 

GOOD: Plow the way, Mr. Mayor!

Mamdani received widespread praise for the city’s immediate response to the storm that dropped nearly a foot of snow on the Big Apple on Jan. 25. Streets were plowed quickly and continuously, as were bike lanes. Mamdani was aggressive in his PSA efforts, making the rounds on TV and radio in the days leading up to the storm. And he was seen personally shoveling snow in Williamsburg (albeit, without a hat) even as the snow continued to fall. 

Mamdani was perhaps better prepared for the larger blizzard that hit in late February, issuing a travel ban from 9 p.m. on Feb. 22 to noon the next day. The city’s Code Blue protocols were heightened, with additional warming centers open. Mamdani also gave city students a traditional snow day without any remote learning. During his State of the Union address, President Donald Trump criticized Mamdani for requiring two forms of ID for the city’s emergency snow shoveler program – but the critique backfired, as 1,400 shovelers signed up that day alone. 

BAD: New Yorkers die in frigid temperatures

The early praise coincided with tragedy: Seven people died outside in the cold the first weekend of the cold snap that began in late January and lasted more than two weeks. As frigid temperatures stuck around for weeks after, that number grew to 29, including people who died both inside and outside. The Mamdani administration drew much criticism for those deaths as many questioned how prepared the city was for such intense, prolonged cold. It also sparked debate about whether the city should continue the Eric Adams-era policy of sweeping homeless encampments. After briefly pausing sweeps, Mamdani ended up reinstating that practice, much to the chagrin of homeless and social services groups, including The Legal Aid Society.

UGLY: Talk about a situation snowballing.

A massive snowball fight in Washington Square Park got out of control on Feb. 24 when police officers were pelted with snowballs and left with minor injuries. The mayor initially dismissed the incident as a snowball fight that “got out of hand” but many, including Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, took it more seriously, decrying the way the cops were treated and calling for charges to be brought. It represented the first public split between Mamdani and Tisch during the new administration. Two men, an 18-year-old and a 27-year-old, were arrested in connection with the incident. The latter, however, saw his charges reduced.