A storm is a schedule before it is ever weather. Novus Maintenance Headquarters watches the forecast come across New York and sends snow removal out ahead of it — plows staged, salt loaded, routes set while the sky is still only grey. The city takes snow unevenly: an open lot fills to the curb while a shaded courtyard downtown keeps its drift for days. Plowing, hand shoveling, sidewalk clearing and salting repeat until the last band pushes offshore. The morning after, the pavement steams a little and the work stands up in plain view — ground opened, piles pushed exactly where they belong.