Boston Blizzard Cleanup 'Very Smooth' Across City, According To Mayor

BOSTON (CBS) – A snow emergency will remain in place for the City of Boston until Monday at 6 a.m. after historic snowfall over the weekend, though schools are set to open as scheduled to start the week.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu held a press conference on Sunday. Wu said cleanup has gone "very smooth" across the city, despite tying a 1-day snowfall record of 23.6 inches on Saturday.

A snow emergency has been in place since 9 p.m. on Friday. It will remain in place until 6 a.m. on Monday to give crews the opportunity to continue clearing snow.

"We're used to snow and storms up here in Boston. But this was a record-setting storm. So it will be a lot of snow and it's going to take us a little while," Wu said. "We want to make sure that everybody is watching out for each other. As we keep schools open, it may mean in certain places that we want to make sure we're helping get those sidewalks clean for our kids to walk to school. Or if you see someone needing to go around a snow drift, please drive carefully so that you're always aware about what's happening as we continue to dig out."

Boston Chief of Streets Jascha Franklin-Hodge said the city normally considers 800 pieces of snow clearing equipment a "full deployment." But at the peak of Saturday's storm, there were 940 pieces on the streets.

"Tackling an historic storm requires an incredible effort," he said.

Franklin-Hodge urged people not to shovel or blow snow into the street. He said the next step for crews is to continue with smaller equipment to clear areas like curbs and crosswalks.

Property owners are required to shovel sidewalks, curb ramps and other areas for pedestrian access.