Fern was quite a storm!

Everyone realized that when they awoke Sunday to heavy snowfall, bitter cold, and biting winds. The Pittsburgh Snowpocalypse (as some are calling it) of 2026 was one for the record books—literally. Winter Storm Fern dropped 11.2 inches of snow onto the city, making it the largest snowstorm in sixteen years. Pittsburgh declared a State of Emergency after the record snowfall, not just because of the snow, but because of the extreme cold.

Right now, we’re in a deep freeze, with severe weather advisories in effect all week due to the extreme temperatures. It’s not safe to be outside for long periods of time, no matter how sunny it might look. Experts have shared advice for those who can’t jet off to Florida during this cold snap, recommending that people:

• Limit time outside and cover all exposed skin if you have to go outdoors.
• Check on your neighbors, if you can, to make sure they are safe and warm.
• Protect your pets by bringing them inside and ensuring they have dry, warm shelter and unfrozen water. No pets should be outside in this weather, no matter how fluffy.

And, of course, you’ve heard from us as well. We’ve asked residents to take precautions such as:

• Leaving kitchen and bathroom sink cabinets open so warm air can reach pipes and help prevent freezing.
• Calling us immediately if you hear or suspect a leak, or if you experience HVAC issues.
• Ensuring all windows and doors are tightly closed to keep drafts at bay.

Unfortunately, this cold, part of Winter Storm Fern, is expected to last a couple more weeks—an extended period of time when you’re dealing with temperatures this low.

Weather-related doom and gloom aside, what have we learned from this storm? Here are five lessons that were reinforced by this near-record snowfall.

1. Preparation is key. We started hearing about this storm weeks in advance. For a brief, merciful moment, it looked as though it might miss us. But the forecast kept changing and updating, and it ultimately became a direct hit. While the news wasn’t good, having consistent updates about Storm Fern was critical. Being able to monitor the situation helped us prepare at Lobos Management, with our maintenance team working around the clock before the storm. Advance warning made all the difference. That said, no matter how much preparation you do, you can never fully prepare for a storm of this magnitude—as the Pittsburgh plowing system also learned.
2. Communication is critical. Many of you likely saw our emails and social posts before the storm hit. Keeping residents informed in real time is always a goal of ours, as is setting expectations around response times during severe weather. Being able to assist tenants who were diligently submitting requests through their resident portals was especially important during this time.
3. Safety comes first—no matter what. Throughout the storm and the continued cold, we prioritized emergency issues over routine requests. Preventative maintenance truly came in clutch during both the storm and the deep freeze we’re still experiencing. Certain systems are more vulnerable in extreme cold, particularly plumbing and HVAC. We are incredibly grateful to our hardworking, dedicated maintenance team who were out in the freezing temperatures and snow getting the job done.
4. Patience goes a long way—and so does cooperation. Many of us had a difficult time getting to work on Monday morning, and we were impressed by our residents’ patience as we continued to recover from the storm.
5. Neighbors matter. In addition to that patience, we were amazed by how residents—and Pittsburghers as a whole—came together. Neighbors helped dig one another out, even when they weren’t planning to go anywhere. While road conditions are still improving, it’s been encouraging to see people working together to ensure neighbors are warm, safe, and supported.

As a landlord, you always hope your residents will get along and enjoy being part of a community. That’s one of the reasons we host tenant events—to encourage communication and connection. We’ve been incredibly proud of how our tenants have supported one another in the aftermath of Winter Storm Fern.

Though it’s still freezing out and more snow is in the forecast (sorry to be the ones to break it to you—but maybe this one will miss us!), we wanted to take a moment to say thank you to our residents for once again proving why we’re grateful to have each and every one of them.