Under this doctrine, an NYC owner generally is not liable for a fall on snow or ice that accumulated during an active storm, since clearing a sidewalk mid-blizzard would be futile. The protection ends once the storm stops and a reasonable time to clear has passed; NYC's snow removal rules then set specific clearing windows. Owners can still be liable if their earlier incomplete shoveling made conditions worse, for example by leaving a lane of packed ice. Documenting when a storm ended and when crews cleared your frontage is valuable evidence if a claim follows.
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