Code Blue 2026-27: Cold-Weather Shelter Rules in NYC, Philadelphia, DC and Boston

New York City follows Code Blue procedures when the temperature is 32 degrees or lower, including wind chill values, according to the NYC311 “Homeless Outreach Assistance” page, while Philadelphia, Washington, DC and Boston each use a different trigger. This story sets the four official rules side by side for the 2026-27 winter and adds a one-page wallet card with the numbers. The pages we read on Nov. 4, 2026 are cited in each row.

Code Blue and cold alert rules in four cities

Code Blue is not one national rule. Each city decides what counts, and the differences matter near freezing.

City	What it is called	Trigger	Season	Who to call	Where to go	Source
New York City	Code Blue; Enhanced Code Blue	32°F or lower, including wind chill; Enhanced below -5°F (temperature or wind chill, any amount of time)	No dates on the page	311; 911 for an emergency	Department of Homeless Services (DHS) drop-in centers and shelters; over 50 NYC hospitals	NYC311
Philadelphia	Code Blue; Enhanced Code Blue	Precipitation and 32°F or lower, or a wind chill near or below 20°F	No dates on the page	(215) 232-1984 to report a person outdoors	A City-funded homeless intake center; warming centers in an Enhanced Code Blue	Office of Homeless Services
Washington, DC	Cold Alert; Extreme Cold Alert	Cold Alert: 16° to 32°F, or 21° to 40°F if precipitation is expected. Extreme: below 15°F, or below 20°F if precipitation is expected	Hypothermia Season, Nov. 1 to March 31	202-399-7093 or 311, 24/7 in season	Shelter, with free rides	DC Department of Human Services; Office of the Tenant Advocate (OTA)
Boston	No Code Blue name on the page	Below freezing (32 degrees): amnesty for nonviolent restrictions	No dates on the page	311 or 911	Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) shelters, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week	Boston.gov

Why do the triggers differ?

Philadelphia ties its 32°F line to precipitation: the Office of Homeless Services says Code Blue applies “when there’s precipitation and the temperature is 32 degrees Fahrenheit or lower,” or when the wind chill is near or below 20 degrees. New York City’s page has no precipitation condition and counts wind chill in the 32-degree figure.

Washington, DC writes its alerts as ranges. The DC Department of Human Services lists a Cold Alert when the temperature or wind chill is “between: 16° and 32°F, OR 21° to 40°F if precipitation (snow, rain, or hail) is expected,” and an Extreme Cold Alert when it “falls below: 15°F, OR 20°F if precipitation (snow, rain, or hail) is expected.” The page was last updated Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. DC’s older name was “Hypothermia Alert”; the department now says Cold Alert.

Boston’s page does not use the name Code Blue. It says that when temperatures are below freezing (32 degrees), amnesty is in place for those with nonviolent restrictions, and that BPHC emergency shelters are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Mayor can declare a cold weather emergency, which opens Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF) community centers as warming centers. Boston’s page was last updated May 18, 2026.

Who do you call in New York City, Philadelphia, DC and Boston?

• New York City: ask for outreach for someone outdoors through 311, and call 911 for an emergency. During Code Blue, the city says over 50 NYC hospitals plus DHS drop-in centers and shelters “operate with a full open-door policy.”
• Philadelphia: (215) 232-1984 is the line to report a person who appears homeless and is outdoors during a Code Blue. It is a report line, not shelter intake. The page says to go to a City-funded homeless intake center, or in an Enhanced Code Blue to the warming centers on the city’s map.
• Washington, DC: the shelter hotline is 202-399-7093, or 311, 24/7 during the season, with free rides to shelter.
• Boston: “Call 3-1-1 or 9-1-1 if you need help getting to a shelter.”

In other cities, call 311 or check the city’s own site. We could not confirm rules for Chicago, Minneapolis, Baltimore, Denver, Pittsburgh, Seattle, St. Louis or Cleveland from their official pages on Nov. 4, 2026, so none are listed here.

When does DC’s Hypothermia Season end?

The DC Office of the Tenant Advocate lists Hypothermia Season as Nov. 1 to March 31, and the Department of Human Services says it runs November through March. For the 2026-27 winter, that ends March 31, 2027. Households that pay for heat can also see the winter shutoff rules and application windows in our Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) 2026-27 story, and the winter solstice 2026 story has the sunset times for the shortest day. New York City readers can also check the alternate side parking holidays for 2026.

Code Blue wallet card to print

The printable puts each city’s trigger and phone number on one page, with lines for the nearest shelter and the number you would call. Mark the weeks on the December 2026 and January 2027 printable calendars. The card carries only what the four city pages say; the rules can change, so check the city’s site during a cold spell.