Snow day guides
By Petar M., editor · How we research
How closures are decided
How much snow cancels school?
From one inch in Atlanta to a foot in Buffalo: what it takes in every state, with NOAA data.
Updated October 18
How school districts decide snow days
Who makes the call, what they check before dawn, and why neighboring districts disagree.
Updated October 17
What time are snow days announced?
When districts decide, how they tell families, and when to check the calculator.
Updated October 18
Snow day calculators: how they work and why they exist
From guessing games to forecast data: what a snow day calculator can and can't know.
Updated October 18
Ohio snow emergency levels and school closings
What Level 1, 2 and 3 mean, who declares them, and why a snow emergency doesn't by itself close schools.
Updated October 18
For families
Snow day vs. delay vs. early dismissal
What each one means, when districts use them, and how the calculator scores each.
Updated October 17
Virtual snow days: is a remote day the new snow day?
How remote learning days work, why districts use them, and what they mean for families.
Updated October 18
Snow day checklist for parents
What to set up the night before a possible snow day, and what to do in the morning.
Updated October 18
Weather explained
Ice storms and school closings
Why a tenth of an inch of ice can close more schools than a foot of snow.
Updated October 18
Signs of a snow day tomorrow
The forecast signs that really matter, and the folklore that doesn't.
Updated October 18
Winter Storm Warning vs. Watch vs. Advisory
Every NWS winter alert in plain words, what replaced the Heavy Snow Warning, and what each means for school.
Updated October 18
What is a snow squall?
Sudden whiteouts, flash freezes and the Snow Squall Warning, and how a squall differs from a blizzard.
Updated October 18
Lake-effect snow and school closings
Why one Great Lakes town gets a foot and the next gets flurries, and how much it takes to close snowbelt schools.
Updated October 18
Wind chill and school closings
How cold is too cold for school, the NWS cold alerts, and local cold lines by city.
Updated October 17