Snow melters: What are they and how do they work?
Snow melt machines are used to remove snow by using warm fluid, flame burners or hot water.
New York City rolls out snow melters after massive snowstorm
New York City's Department of Sanitation deployed eight snow melters throughout the city to help remove snow on the streets, sidewalks and bus stops. Without the snow melters, the snow would have lingered for weeks due to the consistent below-freezing temperatures.
It has been an extremely active winter, with back-to-back snowstorms and below-freezing temperatures causing massive amounts of snow to accumulate and linger.
Snow has covered roadways, sidewalks and driveways, making it difficult to maneuver around cities.
The buildup has become so overwhelming in some cases, that the snow becomes unsanitary.
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The persistent winter conditions have made it tough to get rid of pesky snow, but fortunately, there are effective systems designed to help clear it and prevent further buildup.
Snow melt machines are systems that are designed to remove snow by using warm fluid, flame burners or hot water. The melted snow water is then discharged into a storm drain, sewer or onto the ground.
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This helps prevent the build-up of snow and eliminates winter maintenance labor such as shoveling, plowing and spreading de-icing salt.
There are three types of snow melters: mobile, semi-mobile and stationary.
A front-end loader dumps snow into a snow melter after a winter storm in New York on January 29, 2026.
(ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Mobile snow melters drive down a street or along a rail line, collecting snow and melting it. They often have a holding tank so that the melted snow can be poured out at a designated location.
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Semi-mobile units have wheels and are moved into a particular position and then loaded with snow by another machine.
Stationary snow melt equipment is built into the ground. The snow is then loaded up into collection trucks or snowplows and brought to the machines.
Cities from Kansas City, Missouri, to Boston, Massachusetts, have been utilizing snow machines to cope with the brutal winter conditions this year.
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Some cities, like Baltimore, Maryland, have even borrowed snow melt machines from neighboring municipalities to help manage the heavy snowfall.
A front end loader dumps snow into a snow melter after a winter storm in New York on January 29, 2026.
(ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
In New York City, the Department of Sanitation deployed eight snow melters to assist with removing snow from streets, sidewalks and bus stops that would have otherwise lingered for weeks.
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These hot tub snow melters can roughly melt 60 to 120 tons of snow per hour. They are stationed around Lower Manhattan, where large amounts of snow are dumped into the melting tubs. The water is then discharged directly into a sewer.
This was the first time in five years that New York City needed to use snow melters.
Snowmelt system keeping roads, sidewalks snow-free in Holland, Michigan
We’re in the thick of winter and cities across the U.S. have been tested and forced to go full throttle on snow cleanup efforts. The state of Michigan is no exception. But the city of Holland has managed to enjoy snow-free streets and sidewalks throughout the winter season for the last several decades. Holland Mayor Nathan Bocks joined FOX Weather on Thursday to explain how.
Meanwhile, the city of Holland, Michigan, uses an underground snow melt system to manage the harsh Midwest winter weather. They have had snow-free streets since 1988.
Through 190 miles of heated tubing laid underneath the pavement and sidewalks, and connected to Holland’s BW Power Plant, water circulates through the town to melt large amounts of snow.
The system pumps over 4,700 gallons of water per minute at 95 degrees and can melt about one inch of snow per hour.
According to the City Hall of Holland, it is the largest publicly-owned snow melt system in North America.