Does NYC have snow days?

By Peter, editor · Updated October 23, 2026 · How we research

In this guide (6)

The short answer
How it changed
When and how NYC announces it
What happens on a remote day
Do remote days have to be made up?
What the calculator means for NYC

The short answer

When weather closes school buildings, NYC Public Schools normally switch to remote instruction: students log in from home and the day counts as a school day. The 2026–27 school calendar says that on days when buildings are closed for bad weather or other emergencies, NYC Public Schools may be in session remotely.

The city can still call a traditional snow day with no classes at all. That happened on February 23, 2026, during a declared local state of emergency, which the Mayor's office called the city's first old-school snow day since 2019.

How it changed

February 2024: for a storm on February 13, NYC Public Schools announced that all schools would switch to remote instruction instead of closing.
January 26, 2026: buildings closed for a winter storm and instruction continued remotely.
February 23, 2026: a traditional snow day, with no remote instruction. The Schools Chancellor said remote learning wouldn't work well that day, partly because many students hadn't taken devices home over the break.

We found no official announcement that ends remote days or brings back regular snow days for 2026–27, so the safest expectation is a remote day for most storms and a traditional snow day only in exceptional ones.

When and how NYC announces it

Timing: NYC 311 says the city announces closures as early as possible, before 5 AM on the day. In both 2026 storms (January 26 and February 23) the decision came the evening before.
Where: the NYC Public Schools website (schools.nyc.gov), NYC 311 online and in the app, Notify NYC alerts, and the @NYCSchools and @NYC311 accounts. Your school also contacts families directly, so keep your details current in your NYC Schools Account.
Buses: families get automated calls about yellow bus delays and cancellations.

What happens on a remote day

School buildings are closed and classes meet online; your school tells you how.
After-school programs, adult education and other programs in school buildings are cancelled.
Charter schools that share a NYC Public Schools building close too.
Students who need a device can ask their school for a loaned one; it's best to do this before a storm.

Do remote days have to be made up?

New York State requires 180 days of school. The state Education Commissioner can disregard days lost to a declared state or local emergency, and up to five days of extraordinarily bad weather when they can't be made up. For the February 23, 2026 snow day, the city said it received a waiver from the 180-day requirement. The 2026–27 NYC calendar (September 10, 2026 to June 28, 2027) lists no built-in snow days. New York's rule next to 24 other states.

What the calculator means for NYC

Our calculator estimates the chance that weather closes school buildings, from the National Weather Service forecast. For New York City, read a high chance as "a high chance of a remote day", not a day off. New York City gets about 24 inches of snow in a normal winter, and around 6.5 inches overnight is where closures become likely in our model. Check tomorrow's chance for New York City.

Check your district

See tomorrow's chance of a closure or delay for your ZIP code. Open the calculator, or find your state or city.