Snap - It's Cold: How's the Heat in Your Building?

Landlords today across Queens are scrambling (or should be) to clean up the ice and snow and to fix faulty heaters. The sudden freeze overnight plunged temperatures to the single digits, and could easily have burst water pipes.

NYC law requires landlords during "heat season" to provide hot water and a interior temperatures of at least 68 degrees during the day and 55 degrees at night. If your apartment is cold or there's no hot water, first contact your landlord. Then, only if service is not restored, contact the City's Citizen Service Center at 311.

Be careful on the sidewalks and streets today, and don't get too upset. The cold will start to ease up tomorrow -- the first day of winter -- and temperatures are expected to rise to the mid-50s by Thursday, and then to cool to the mid-30s by Christmas. See the weather forecast for Queens.