Boston Mayor Wu cancels schools, keeps snow emergency in effect Tuesday: 'Stay home'

Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald on Feb 23, 2026

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Mayor Michelle Wu urged everyone to stay home as the city works to dig out from the blizzard, adding that the parking ban and snow emergency will remain in effect until at least 6 p.m. Tuesday and Boston Public Schools will be closed again.

“We saw upwards of two inches an hour for several hours and met the official criteria for a blizzard, as deemed by the National Weather Service,” Wu said Monday evening at a City Hall press conference.

“The snow emergency remains in effect right now, and we need everyone to continue to stay home because going out can make things more difficult and dangerous for our public works teams and for first responders who are on the roads as well,” the mayor added.

Wu said the city’s public works crews had 900 plows and snow spreaders out on the roads “at the height of the storm,” and still had almost 700 out as of about 5 p.m., as the city was hit with its second major snowstorm of the year.

While parts of the state were hammered by Monday’s blizzard, snowfall totals in Boston were below the two feet that fell in late January’s massive storm. Wu said 40 inches of snow had fallen before the storm, which, per reports, brought another 10 to 14 inches throughout the city.

Still, the storm will provide another test for the Wu administration, which was criticized for its poor snow removal results following last month’s nor’easter.

Wu said there were about 25 downed trees reported, and limited power outages that have mostly been resolved. The number of power outages in Boston “has been far less than we’ve seen in other parts of the state,” the mayor said.

City officials urged residents to have patience as plows may push snow back into curb cuts and spaces they may have already worked hard to clear on their property and anticipate that snow banks may hang around for a while before melting occurs.

Wu stressed that residents should shovel out their sidewalks, cars and nearby fire hydrants “as soon as the snow does stop” so people can get around safely.

Property owners are responsible for clearing out their sidewalks and curb ramps within three hours after it’s stopped snowing, or three hours after sunrise if snow occurs overnight, and face fines and violations if they fail to do so.

“We are maintaining the snow emergency and parking ban until at least 6 p.m. (Tuesday),” Wu said. “After the snow stops, please shovel out your car sooner than later so our plows don’t have to redo their work, and try not to throw the snow into the street or into the sidewalk. Try to pile it in front of or behind cars.”

Wu said the city’s public school system will be closed for a second straight day on Tuesday, and libraries and community centers won’t open until noon. All other city buildings will operate on regular hours, the mayor added.

Residents will have until 8 p.m. Tuesday, or two hours after the parking ban ends, to remove their cars from the city’s garages that offer discounted rates for snow emergencies, according to Interim Chief of Streets Nick Gove.

The city has towed more than 676 cars as of 4 p.m. Monday, according to Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox.

Trash and recycling pickup will be delayed for a day this week, Gove said.

Space savers are allowed for 48 hours following the end of a snow emergency.

Gove said public works crews will be working to clear snow in the coming days. He said snow removal will run through the weekend, but added that those efforts may be paused mid-week for a forecasted “small clipper system, potentially Wednesday into Thursday.”

“We understand side streets are really tight in some neighborhoods, and we just ask for everybody’s patience while we work through that,” Gove said. “Fortunately, we are not forecasting an extended period of sub-freezing conditions like we did last month.”

The arctic temperatures that followed last month’s nor’easter have led to limited melting leading up to this week’s blizzard. Part of the cleanup involves moving the snow to snow farms in the city and melting it there, Wu said.

Boston EMS Chief James Hooley said the snow is heavy, and urged people to pace themselves when shoveling, particularly if they have underlying medical conditions, especially cardiac disease. Those with medical limitations should consider having someone else shovel snow for them, he added.

As of Monday evening, there have been no tragedies reported in relation to the storm, Hooley said.

“Our No. 1 goal is to make sure that everybody is safe, and then we want to get the city up and running, get schools back open as quickly as possible, and make sure that we remember that we are a winter city,” Wu said. “We’re a New England city. We know how to do this.

“There will be piles of snow for some time as we continue to dig out,” the mayor added. “I ask for everyone’s patience and thank you for being a good neighbor.”

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