How many snow days are schools allowed?

Most snowy states don't give schools a set number of snow days. They set a minimum school year, and closures below it have to be made up or waived. Here is the rule in the 12 snowiest states.

By Petar M., editor · Updated October 20, 2026 · How we research

In this guide (6)

The short answer
Rules in the 12 snowiest states
State by state
What about Ohio?
Do remote learning days replace snow days?
What this means for the calculator

The short answer

Only a few states set a number. Michigan forgives six days lost to storms and lets the state superintendent waive three more. New York excuses up to five from state aid cuts, but only when a district can't make them up with vacation days. Everywhere else in this list, the state sets a minimum number of days or hours, and a district can close as often as it likes as long as it still reaches that minimum by the end of the year.

That is why most districts put three to five spare days in their calendar. The first few snow days come out of that cushion. Later ones are made up, usually in June, over a break, or with remote learning days where the state allows them.

Rules in the 12 snowiest states

States ranked by median snow a year across their ZIP codes (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Hour minimums are shown for elementary / high school where the state uses them.

State	Minimum school year	Snow days allowed	Remote days count?
Vermont	175 student days	None fixed; State Board waiver	No statewide rule we could confirm
Maine	175 instructional days (180 in all)	None fixed; Commissioner waiver	Can count, per the Department of Education
New Hampshire	180 days or 945 / 990 hours	None fixed; State Board waiver	Yes, with a board policy
New York	180 days, plus 900 / 990 hours	Up to 5 days excused from aid loss	Yes, under the district's emergency remote plan
Wyoming	175 days	None fixed	Yes, with a policy approved by the state
Michigan	180 days and 1,098 hours	6 days forgiven, plus up to 3 waived	Up to 3 emergency virtual days (new in 2026–27)
Massachusetts	180 days (185 scheduled)	None fixed; Commissioner waiver	No (the remote pilot ended in 2020)
Minnesota	165 days and 935 / 1,020 hours	None fixed	Up to 5 e-learning days
Wisconsin	1,050 / 1,137 hours	None; hours must still be met	Yes, as virtual make-up instruction
Colorado	160 days and 990 / 1,080 hours	None fixed; Commissioner waiver	Only on emergency closure days
North Dakota	962.5 / 1,050 hours	None fixed; only hours below the minimum are made up	Yes, with a board policy
Utah	180 days or the equivalent hours	None fixed; Superintendent waiver	Learn-from-home snow days count

Checked against each state's statute, rules or education department on October 20, 2026. Your district's calendar and handbook have the rule that actually applies to your school, including how many spare days it built in.

State by state

Vermont

A school closed "for cause beyond the control of the school board" can ask the State Board of Education for a waiver within 10 days of the closure, and by June 15. Board rule asks for at least five contingency days in the calendar, and closures before February 1 are expected to be made up rather than waived.

Source: 16 V.S.A. § 1071 (school year); Vermont State Board of Education, calendar waivers (Rule 2311), Feb. 15, 2023. Snow day chances in Vermont.

Maine

The Commissioner may reduce or waive the minimum on the school board's written request, but the Department grants one only after the district has tried every reasonable way to make the days up: shorter vacations, a later last day, weekend classes, or longer days (five one-hour extensions count as one day, up to 25).

Source: 20-A M.R.S. § 4801 (school year); Maine DOE, school calendar waivers. Snow day chances in Maine.

New Hampshire

Lost time must be rescheduled before a district asks for a waiver. Since December 2024, remote learning counts toward the required hours when weather makes it unsafe to transport students, if the school board has adopted a remote-learning policy. Hours: 450 kindergarten, 945 grades 1–6, 990 grades 7–12.

Source: RSA 189:1 and 189:2 (school year, waivers); N.H. Code Admin. R. Ed 306.15 and 306.18 (eff. Dec. 13, 2024). Snow day chances in New Hampshire.

New York

The Commissioner can disregard up to five days closed for "extraordinarily adverse weather", but only if the district can't make them up with scheduled vacation days before Regents exams. Instead of closing, a district can switch to remote instruction under its emergency remote instruction plan and count those hours.

Source: N.Y. Education Law § 3604 (days of session); NYSED, attendance and instructional time FAQ (updated Mar. 23, 2026). Snow day chances in New York.

Wyoming

Hours by school level are set by State Board rule (450 kindergarten, 900 elementary, 950 middle, 1,000 high school). Virtual school days during bad weather count when the district has a virtual education policy approved by the Wyoming Department of Education.

Source: W.S. 21-4-301 (Title 21); WDE Memo 2022-080, temporary virtual education. Snow day chances in Wyoming.

Michigan

The first six days lost to storms and other conditions outside the district's control still count. The State Superintendent can approve up to three more. Past that, the district loses state aid unless it makes the time up. From October 1, 2026, a district can also hold up to six virtual instruction days a year with a board-approved plan; up to three may be weather days, used only after the forgiven closure days run out.

Source: MCL 388.1701 (section 101, days and hours); MCL 388.1621f(14), as amended eff. Oct. 1, 2026. Snow day chances in Michigan.

Massachusetts

Districts schedule 185 days so five can absorb closures. Days lost through March 31 must be made up with full school days; days lost after that, until the district reaches 180 days or its scheduled 185th day. After five emergency closures, the Commissioner considers waivers case by case.

Source: 603 CMR 27.00 (student learning time); DESE advisory on school closures, Nov. 12, 2024. Snow day chances in Massachusetts.

Minnesota

A school board can adopt an e-learning plan, negotiated with the teachers' union, that turns up to five weather days a year into instructional days. Families must hear about the plan at the start of the year and get at least two hours' notice on the morning of an e-learning day.

Source: Minn. Stat. 120A.41 (length of school year); Minn. Stat. 120A.414 (e-learning days). Snow day chances in Minnesota.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin counts hours, not days: 437 in kindergarten, 1,050 in grades 1–6 and 1,137 in grades 7–12. Days closed for weather don't count toward the hours unless the school offers make-up instruction virtually. The state doesn't approve each district's plan.

Source: Wis. Stat. 121.02(1)(f) (hours of instruction); Wis. Admin. Code PI 8.01(2)(f). Snow day chances in Wisconsin.

Colorado

A closure needs no action while the school stays above the minimums. Below them, the district asks the Commissioner for a waiver, which the state says is not granted often. Districts with a board-adopted remote learning option can count remote days during emergency closures; planned remote days don't count in 2026–27.

Source: CDE, school district calendar and instructional hours guidance; CDE, instructional hours and days collection (2026–27). Snow day chances in Colorado.

North Dakota

North Dakota counts hours, and its old storm-day make-up rule was repealed in 2019. A school makes up weather-cancelled time only if it would otherwise fall below 962.5 hours (elementary) or 1,050 hours (middle and high school). Virtual instruction on weather days counts under a school board policy.

Source: N.D.C.C. 15.1-06-04 (school calendar); N.D. Admin. Code 67-30-01 (virtual instruction). Snow day chances in North Dakota.

Utah

Districts must build weather contingency days into the calendar. If a closure would push a district below 180 days, it can ask the State Superintendent for a waiver; a denial can be appealed to the State Board. The rule counts an unplanned learn-from-home day due to snow toward the 180.

Source: Utah Admin. Code R277-419 (eff. Aug. 7, 2026); Utah Admin. Code R277-121 (waivers). Snow day chances in Utah.

What about Ohio?

Ohio also counts hours (455, 910 or 1,001 a year by grade). A district above its minimum can close for weather without making the time up, and every district must have a plan for up to three days' worth of online make-up lessons. Ohio snow emergency levels and school.

Do remote learning days replace snow days?

In some states, partly. Minnesota allows up to five e-learning days, and Michigan up to three emergency virtual days once its forgiven days are used. New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Wyoming and Wisconsin count remote time under a district plan or policy. Massachusetts ended its remote snow-day pilot in 2020, so closures there are made up in person. Whether your district uses remote days at all is its own choice.How virtual snow days work.

What this means for the calculator

A district that has used up its spare days may be slower to close for a borderline storm. That's why the calculator's "Adjust for your school" panel lets you enter how many snow days your district has used: each one lowers the chance a little, up to five. It doesn't change the forecast, only how likely a closure is for the same weather.

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.