{"id":115154,"date":"2026-01-28T15:36:27","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T15:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/115154\/"},"modified":"2026-01-28T15:36:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T15:36:27","slug":"nyc-ferry-halts-service-as-waterways-turn-icy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/115154\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC Ferry Halts Service as Waterways Turn Icy"},"content":{"rendered":"

All NYC Ferry service was suspended starting at 2 p.m. on Tuesday due to thick ice in the East River and the Hudson River.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\"\" <\/p>\n

All New York City Ferry service is suspended Tuesday as freezing temperatures cause thick ice to build up in the city\u2019s rivers. Photo by Susan De Vries<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\"\" by Brooklyn Paper<\/a><\/p>\n

by Kirstyn Brendlen, Brooklyn Paper<\/p>\n

Train and bus service are recovering from the weekend\u2019s snowstorm, but Arctic weather is causing issues for New York City\u2019s more fluid form of transit: the ferry.<\/p>\n

All NYC Ferry service was suspended starting at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, January 27 due to thick ice in the East River and the Hudson River, the agency announced<\/a> just before 1:30 p.m. By the time the announcement was made, final trips on all routes had already set sail.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday morning, ice at four ferry landings \u2014 including the Brooklyn Navy Yard and Atlantic Avenue\/Pier 6-Brooklyn Bridge Park \u2014 was thick enough to prevent boats from docking, forcing ferries to skip those stops. A number of ferry trips on the East River routes were also canceled on Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n

\"ferryWorsening conditions forced NYC Ferry to cancel all service starting Tuesday. Photo by Susan De Vries<\/p>\n

Conditions continued to deteriorate throughout the day, with \u201csignificant, continuing ice buildup in the East and Hudson Rivers and across New York Harbor,\u201d an NYC Ferry spokesperson told Brooklyn Paper.<\/p>\n

\u201cOperating in heavy ice conditions requires slow speeds and little to no notice regarding landing service suspension,\u201d NYC Ferry wrote on X<\/a>. \u201cNYC Ferry crew will continue to monitor evolving waterway conditions and prepare the fleet to ensure service can resume once conditions improve.\u201d<\/p>\n

But, the spokesperson warned, the ferry suspension may last for several days, depending on weather conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will provide ongoing updates regarding resumption of service as soon as it is safely possible to do so,\u201d the spokesperson added.<\/p>\n

\"iceIce encased the ferry landing at Brooklyn Bridge Park, one of the first landings to go out of service on Tuesday. Photo by Susan De Vries<\/p>\n

Temperatures plummeted on Saturday night and are expected to remain unseasonably low through the weekend, according to the National Weather Service<\/a>. Highs on Tuesday were expected to reach just 22 degrees Fahrenheit, with wind chill values hovering in the single digits and expected to drop even further after sunset.<\/p>\n

The rest of the week will look much the same, with a slight reprieve \u2014 a high near 31 degrees \u2014 predicted for next Monday.<\/p>\n

Water temperatures at The Battery on the southern tip of Manhattan measured around 34 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday, according to the National Data Buoy Center<\/a>. The Hudson River, which is mostly fresh water, can freeze<\/a> at about 32 degrees, while the saltier East River \u2014 which is a tidal estuary, not a true river \u2014 has a lower freezing point, about 28 degrees.<\/p>\n

Ice floes are not uncommon on the Hudson during particularly cold winters, and both rivers were known to freeze solid during brutal cold snaps in the 19th and 20th centuries.<\/p>\n

\"iceThe stop at Fulton Ferry on Tuesday. Photo by Susan De Vries<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note: A version of this story originally ran in Brooklyn Paper. Click here<\/a> to see the original story.<\/p>\n

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