By Kate Brodkin, Celine Hijazi and Lea Tran

In Newton Centre, the snow was so much that several businesses stayed closed a day or two after Monday’s blizzard. In Newton Highlands, pedestrians gingerly stepped through narrow shoveled strips of sidewalk. In Newtonville, residents complained about the slush and ice that is everywhere but mostly took this unrelenting winter in stride.

“I think it’s given us a lot of highlight moments,” said Kerry Murphy, a cybersecurity software engineer who works remotely from home. “It’s given people time to do the traditional New England ‘get snowed in’ activities — spending time with family, catching up on Netflix, baking. I think over the past few years we may have missed that a little bit.”

Less than a month after a massive storm walloped Newton with nearly 2 feet of snow, a historic blizzard dropped another 16 inches on the city this week. Snowbanks are piling up on street corners. Many sidewalks are unwalkable. Residents and businesses are struggling to keep up with the seemingly nonstop need to remove snow from their driveways, lots and sidewalks.

But if you think that people have had enough of this brutal winter, think again. Not everyone is fed up. Some people actually love it. Those who don’t are coping with a shrug.

Here is how three of Newton’s villages are contending with the harsh winter of 2025-26:

Newton Centre

As the snow piled up — and more continued to fall — Newton Centre fell quiet. Snowbanks lined the stairs leading from the MBTA station up to Union Street, where only a handful of pedestrians entered businesses.

Several storefront doors glowed with neon “closed” signs. But local shop Carla Shaw was open.

Carla Wahnon said she is tired of the snow slowing down her local jewelry business. Photo by Kate Brodkin

Inside, owner Carla Wahnon said this stretch of winter weather has been a burden for her jewelry and sustainable fashion business. “Comparing last year’s January and February to this year’s, I’ve seen a decline on business, because the cold is too much,” Wahnon said.

Originally from Brazil, Wahnon said she thinks the snow is beautiful, “if you ski.” “But if you have to get ready and go to work, it doesn’t make things easier.”

Though she doesn’t love the snow, Wahnon said she was impressed by how well the city did cleaning the sidewalks and streets. “The streets were completely clean,” she said.

Dan Solo, a resident of Newton Centre, said he’s tired of the snow and the state of the crosswalks in Newton. Photo by Kate Brodkin

Inside Blackbird Donuts, Newton Centre resident Dan Solo said he felt the opposite. 

“I just feel like it’s very inconsistent,” he said. “There’ll be a section where it’s plowed and cleaned and then stretches where you’re just stopped.” Solo said the crosswalks weren’t plowed wide enough for more than one person to cross the street at a time.

But some business owners are embracing the weather.

Jill Herer said she loves waking up in the morning and seeing snow. Photo by Kate Brodkin

Jill Herer, owner of the Finer Consigner in Newton Centre, said she loves the snow.

“Everyone likes to be snowed in for a good snowstorm,” she said. “It’s a great excuse to stay home, stay in your pajamas, and relax. It reminds me of being a kid.”

Still, Herer acknowledged the challenges the snow brings for small businesses. “The fact that people cannot get from their car straight shot to the sidewalk hurts me business-wise,” she said.

Hedy Jarras, who lives in Newton Centre and owns Sweet Tomatoes Pizza, feels far less enthusiastic about the snow.

“I hate it,” she said. “It’s terrible for business — it’s messy.”

The restaurant’s deliveries, originally scheduled for Monday, were delayed until Thursday because of the blizzard.

“It’s been a lot of running around and trying to scoop up some stuff that is needed,” she said. “It’s really crippling for business.”

Hedy Jarras, owner of Sweet Tomatoes. Photo by Kate Briodkin

Newtonville

Snowplows rumbled through the streets of Newtonville as snow blew across sidewalks and roadways.

In the village center, crews in reflective jackets spread salt that turned slushy shades of pink against the snow-covered pavement. Pedestrians stepped carefully over icy sidewalks. Some welcomed the return of winter weather.

“We are back to a tried-and-true New England winter,” said Murphy, the cybersecurity engineer.

For remote workers like Murphy, the storm has posed few disruptions. For students and others who commute, the experience has been more challenging.

“It was hard to get out of my house,” said Hadley Hamley, an employee at Rancatore’s Ice Cream and Yogurt. Hamley, who recently graduated from the Catherine Hinds Institute of Esthetics in Woburn, said she paid $100 for a one-way Uber ride during the storm.

Business at Rancatore’s has remained steady, Hamley said. Although winter months typically bring a slowdown, she noticed an uptick in customers ahead of the blizzard.

“People actually like to stock up before the storm,” she said.

While the storm presents a rare opportunity to bundle up and spend family time, this is not everyone’s reality. For snow removal crews, the storm has meant long hours.

“It’s been long hours for me and my crew,” said Raymond Ratchford, a snow removal worker, as equipment hummed nearby. He said the most difficult part of the job is ensuring equipment is ready, as trucks and snowplows occasionally malfunction.

Overall, he said crews have managed conditions without major complaints.

“They take pretty good care of the roads out here,” Ratchford said.

Newton Highlands

Approaching the Newton Highlands T stop on the Green Line, the fresh powdered snowfall makes the place appear as a winter wonderland. Once pedestrians are off the T platform, however, the place is navigable only through narrow paths through the sidewalks, with snow walls up to their knees.

Nico Andrea, 20, spent his afternoon shoveling snow in an attempt to make a path for his roommate’s car to get out.

“They don’t really clean the streets very well,” Andrea said. “I don’t drive, so it doesn’t affect me that much, but everyone I know is always complaining about it.”

Nico Andrea shovels snow after a blizzard in Newton. Photo by Lea Tran

Andrea then had to clear out his driveway, which he estimated would take two hours solo because his roommate was suffering from a back injury.

Throughout the neighborhood’s streets, residents spent their afternoons the way Andrea did.

Jonathan Roses, 82, was shoveling his porchway after the snow plowers he hired made the entryway too narrow. The plows that cleared the dental office across the street had dumped the snow in front of Roses’ home, forcing him to make his own pathway to get out. It happens with city plows, too, he said.

Jonathon Roses, retired Newton resident, shovels snow after a late February blizzard. Photo by Lea Tran

“What happens every year is plows that the city hires, they block the corner,” Roses said. “And it’s impossible for me to open it up for pedestrians to go across, but people usually either walk on the street, or if there’s another path, they go.”

Roses does not mind snow days too much, though, as it gives him an opportunity to exercise while shoveling and also catch up on “Grey’s Anatomy.” He’s currently on season 15.

The covered sidewalks and large snow walls have forced pedestrians to walk in the main roads in Newton Highlands to get to their destinations.

Mildred Parro, a Newton nanny, is taking the winter weather in stride. Photo by Lea Tran

Mildred Parro, 32, nanny to a newborn, pushed a stroller when she was met with an unclear segment of the sidewalk. Unable to get through with a stroller, Parro turned around to find a new route.

Parro said her driving commute from Watertown into Newton was fine but navigating the Newton streets as a pedestrian was much worse.

“It’s bad when we go for a walk, especially when I’m with him,” she said, gesturing to the large stroller. “But today’s kind of clean, just not all the streets.” 

Parro has noticed some improvements with the city’s snow removal. 

“Last time two weeks ago, it was really bad. I couldn’t even go out with him because all the sidewalks were covered,” she said.

While inconsistent snow removal plagues much of the neighborhood, the Newton Highlands village center was fairly clear in comparison.

Nearly all the businesses were open, with a few customers in each shop, whether it were a cafe, salon or pilates studio.

Eamon Porcello, barista, and Ross DeMore, manager, at Lakon Paris Patisserie. Photo by Lea Tran

Lakon Paris Patisserie, a French-inspired cafe, was open for business Tuesday. Employees Eamon Porcello, 25, and Ross DeMore, 37, both laughed when asked how business has been at the cafe, which has gone viral for its croissants and other flaky pastries that normally have the place packed.

“It’s been super dead and super slow today,” DeMore said.

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This story is part of a partnership between the Newton Beacon and the Boston University Department of Journalism.