With up to a foot of snow expected to fall across the city today, the Department of Education has cancelled all classes and all city buses are making local stops.

So far, about five to eight inches have fallen in the five boroughs, and New Yorkers are experiencing windy blizzard conditions. Tonight, wind chills will go down to the teens.

School Closings

All New York City public schools are closed today, and all after-school and Public School Athletic League (PSAL) events have also been suspended.

Department of Education officials and Mayor Michael Bloomberg say that travel conditions are expected to worsen as the day goes on.

"It's never something we do lightly of easily, but based on the information we now have, and the fact that we're confident that we're not going to get much new information between now and tomorrow morning, this was the sensible and prudent thing to do," said Schools Chancellor Joel Klein.

The mayor says the announcement was made on Tuesday to allow parents enough time to make alternate arrangements.

It is the third snow day off from school in the past eight years.

The New York Archdiocese has announced that all of its Catholic schools in the Bronx, Staten Island and Manhattan will be closed Wednesday.

The Brooklyn Diocese says its elementary schools, high schools and academic schools are also closed.

All city offices will be open. However, New York City courts will be closed except for family and criminal emergency applications.

The City Council has also canceled all of today's scheduled hearings.

Citywide Snow Removal

Meanwhile, city and state agencies are beginning to tackle the snow removal.

Working overtime on two 12-hour split shifts, about 2,100 Sanitation Department employees are using 365 salt spreaders and 2,000 plows. Over 100,000 tons of salt are at their disposal to take on the blanket of white.

The Office of Emergency Management and the New York City Police Department are being deployed on storm duty.

In order to make plowing the roads easier, the city has suspended alternate-side parking rules for today.

Transit Delays

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is also urging New Yorkers to avoid driving into and around the city unless absolutely necessary. He said city residents should instead use mass transit.

All buses are making local stops, and limited-stop service has been suspended.

Commuters might have a rough time with above-ground subways lines and Long Island Rail Road trains. The railroad is offering early trains between 1 and 4 p.m., as at least 17 rush hour trains have already been canceled.

Metro-North Railroad is also operating extra outbound service until 4 p.m. and is significantly reducing service after 5 p.m.

Check mta.info for schedules and information on service disruptions and make sure to leave extra time for travel.

The Staten Island Ferry is also being affected by the weather. The ferry will be running on a modified three-boat schedule due to weather conditions. Boats will leave approximately every 20 minutes during rush hour. Boats will operate on a normal 30-minute schedule throughout the rest of the day. This is anticipated to last through tonight's rush hour.

Also preparing for the winter blast is the Port Authority's arsenal, which will take care of airports, highways, bridges and tunnels. The PA says their multi-use units at area airports can plow, brush and blow snow at 35 miles per hour. Melters at the ready can liquefy up to 500 tons of snow an hour.

While airports are technically open, most flights have been cancelled at local airports, and pilots and airlines are asking travelers to be patient today.

Moreover, there are numerous cancellations of buses in and out of the Port Authority bus terminal.

As the snow continues to pile on the roads, commuters said the streets were wet but manageable by mid-afternoon.

Meanwhile, the city's Department of Homeless Services has issued its cold weather emergency procedure known as "Code Blue."

That means extra teams of people will be hitting the streets looking for those who are at risk for exposure deaths, frostbite, or hypothermia.

Workers are encouraging homeless New Yorkers to voluntarily come indoors. They will also be coordinating transport of at-risk people to emergency rooms.

DHS officials ask that New Yorkers call 311 if they see anyone sleeping on the street, so they can be helped.

City residents are also asked to not put out garbage today and to shovel their sidewalks.

New Yorkers are urged to call 311 to report any snow emergencies or to get help shoveling snow after the storm.

City officials are also hiring able-bodied people looking for some extra cash by helping dig out fellow New Yorkers. Call 311 for more information

Winter Fun Outdoors, On Broadway

New Yorkers can sled at locations all across the city.
• Manhattan: Central Park's Pilgrim Hill, enter at Fifth Avenue at 72nd Street.
• Brooklyn: Sunset Park on Fifth Avenue and 41st Street.
• Queens: The golf course in Forest Park, enter at the park's south side at 86th Street.
• Bronx: Ewen Park on Johnson Avenue and 231st Street.
• Staten Island: Silver Lake Park's Dead Man's Hill on Victory Boulevard and Forest Avenue.

Meanwhile, Broadway shows are one of the areas of the city that is unaffected by the snow, as the Broadway League has announced no cancellations for tonight.

Ticketholders who cannot get to their shows are advised to contact their point of purchase for exchange information.

The producers of "Hair" are celebrating the citywide closings of public and private schools by offering $40 tickets to students for tonight's 8 o'clock performance.

To let the sun shine in, students need to present a valid student I.D. in person at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre.