If you’ve been missing winter in upstate New York, this past January delivered the kind of storm that probably brings back memories- whether fond or frostbitten. On January 25-26, 2026, a major blizzard swept through Troy, New York, burying streets, cars, and sidewalks under heavy snow and bringing campus life to a temporary standstill.
By early morning on the 26th, it was clear this wasn’t just another snow day. Cars parked along city streets were nearly invisible under drifts, some completely entombed except for side mirrors poking out like periscopes. Snow piled up faster than plows could keep up, and visibility dropped enough to make even short walks an adventure. The City of Troy officially declared a snow emergency, restricting parking and prioritizing road clearing so emergency vehicles could get through. Residents scrambled to move vehicles before tow enforcement began- a familiar stressor for anyone who has lived through a Capital Region winter.
Up on the hill, operations at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute shifted quickly. Classes were moved online for safety, giving students an unexpected remote-learning day. With remote classes the next day, students took advantage of the rare mid-semester pause. And in true RSEi fashion, the storm became an opportunity.
One of the highlights was the now-legendary backyard hill behind the RSEi area, which transformed into a full-on winter recreation zone. Students showed up with sleds, improvised snowboards, and even skis. What started as a few people testing the slope quickly turned into a steady stream of laughter, wipeouts, and snow-covered students rediscovering childhood joy. For a brief moment, coursework and deadlines took a back seat to pure winter fun.
For alumni who remember similar storms, trudging to class through knee-deep snow, digging out cars with whatever tools were available, or turning campus hills into sled runs, this blizzard felt like a classic Troy winter making a comeback. Within a couple of days, plows caught up, sidewalks reappeared, and normal routines resumed. But for those who experienced it, the January 2026 blizzard will likely join the collection of “remember that storm?” stories that define life on the hill.
If you’ve been somewhere warmer lately, consider this your nostalgic weather update from Troy: winter is still very much alive here and the snow seems never ending.
1 Comment
Jeff Gorss · March 2, 2026 at 1:02 pm
Sliding on the snowy Freshman Hill….
The Student Union Building was under construction during my time at RPI. Part of the structural design of its floors involved the use of dozens, maybe hundreds of large plastic or fiberglass tubs as concrete forms. The tubs were inverted and placed in a rectangular array on a temporary flat surface constructed 12-15’ above each previously completed floor. Rebar was then carefully positioned in all the intersecting valleys formed by adjacent rows of inverted tubs. The next step was to fill all the valleys with concrete and allow it to cure. Finally, the temporary flat surface and the tubs were removed, leaving the grid of downward projecting ribs visible today under some of the ceiling areas in the Union.
Of course I didn’t see any of the construction described above, but I was able to intuit that work while observing the underside of the porch in front of our clubhouse when it had to be rebuilt several years ago, the primary difference being that corrugated metal channels had been used instead of tubs.
Which brings me back to the tubs – roughly 2’ x 3’ and about 1-1/2’ deep. The Union construction site was open enough that it was possible to borrow tubs for a while after dark and use them for sliding down the snow-covered Freshman Hill.