The story behind a snapshot of a state DOT worker and a nearly 8-foot snowbank that went viral

Boylston, N.Y. — Jeremy Johnson wanted to share a photo of a nearly 8-foot snowbank in Oswego County with his parents in Florida. He didn’t expect it to be seen by millions of people.

Johnson, a state Department of Transportation employee, was working Friday to clear snow and widen snowbanks along roads in the Town of Boylston during a recent lake-effect snowstorm. He asked a co-worker to snap a quick photo of him standing beside the towering wall of snow.

“I just wanted to show my parents how much snow we got up here,” Johnson said. “They’re down in Florida right now, enjoying nice weather.”

The photo, taken on County Route 17 in Boylston, shows Johnson by a massive roadside snowbank. Johnson, who is 5 feet, 8 inches tall, said the snow reached close to the tips of his fingers — putting the bank at nearly 8 feet tall.

Johnson said the snowbank wasn’t the result of extra plowing in one area, but rather just the sheer volume of snow that has piled up across the region, one of the snowiest parts of the state.

The area often reports snowfall in feet, not inches. Exact seasonal numbers are not available for Boylston, but 15 miles away about 15 feet of snow has fallen so far this year, according to the National Weather Service reports

Earlier that same day, Johnson said crews helped push out a stranded driver and assisted two state troopers who had gotten stuck on their way to a training assignment.

“Then we get up there, and it’s just endless piles of snowbanks,” he said. “So I figured, take a photo and send it on.”

Johnson sent the picture to his boss, who shared it with the DOT’s communications team. From there, it quickly spread across social media, racking up more than 6 million views across the agency’s platforms, according to DOT spokesperson TeNesha Murphy.

Johnson described the photo as just an innocent picture he sent to his parents.

“Next thing you know, it’s everywhere,” he said.

Johnson has worked for New York state for more than 20 years and has assisted local towns with snow removal since 2018. He was operating a LaRue snow blower — a powerful machine designed for extreme snow conditions.

The snow blower packs 375 horsepower and features a head roughly 5 feet tall and up to 9 feet wide. It can throw snow hundreds of feet and move about 2,500 tons of snow per hour — roughly the equivalent of a full salt dome, Johnson said.

Cutting back large snowbanks is a slow process, with equipment moving at roughly 2 mph, but it allows crews to widen roads by nearly 12 feet, improving driving conditions, Johnson said.

Johnson said operating the equipment is time-consuming but rewarding, especially when training new employees on how to handle the machines.

While heavy snowfall is not unusual in the Boylston and Redfield areas, Johnson said conditions became challenging during the height of the storm last week due to reduced visibility.

“There was one point last year we had to pull the snow blowers off the road,” he said. “This time, we were questioning it, but we kept going.”

Since the photo went viral, Johnson said co-workers have been teasing him and sending links to where the image has appeared, including national news sites and even overseas social media posts. His wife sent him a USA Today post featuring a photo of him and the snowbank.

Despite the attention, Johnson said he hopes the photo helps people appreciate the work road crews do during severe winter weather — and reminds drivers to give plows space.

“Don’t crowd the plow,” he said. “That’s the big one.”

Johnson lives in the Sandy Creek–Pulaski area and said his parents, who grew up in the region, were mostly amused by the photo — and happy to be somewhere warm.

“They just talk about the good old winters,” he said, “and how glad they are they’re not here for this one.”

And more is coming.

Oswego County – alongside Cayuga, Jefferson and Lewis counties – has been issued warnings for more lake effect snow on Monday, according to the weather service.

Oswego County is expected to receive the heaviest snowfall, with 1 to 2 feet possible where the snow band persists the longest, the service said.

Jeremy Johnson, 39, of Pulaski, took a photo of a LaRue snow blower near an almost 8-foot snowbank in Boylston, N.Y., Friday, Jan. 20, 2026.Jeremy Johnson