How much snow cancels school?

There is no national number. An inch can close Atlanta for a day while Buffalo opens on time in eight. What matters is how unusual the snow is where you live, and when it falls.

By Petar M., editor · Updated October 18, 2026 · How we research

In this guide (8)

The short answer
How much snow usually closes schools, by region
City by city
State by state
Why the same snow means different things
Timing matters as much as inches
When less snow closes schools
Is 2 inches enough? Is 6?

The short answer

Schools tend to close when a storm brings noticeably more snow than the area usually handles, or when snow or ice hits right at bus time. In places that rarely see snow, that can be an inch or two. In the snowiest cities it takes most of a foot overnight, or snow that is still falling heavily at 6 AM.

How much snow usually closes schools, by region

Region	Snow a year	Days with 3+ in.	Snow that usually closes schools
South	3 in.	0.3	about 3 in.
Mid-Atlantic	25 in.	2.2	about 6 in.
Northeast	49 in.	5.8	about 9 in.
Great Lakes	37 in.	3.9	about 7 in.
Plains and Upper Midwest	34 in.	2.9	about 6 in.
Mountain West	49 in.	5.4	about 8 in.
Pacific Northwest	4 in.	0.4	about 3 in.

Median of the 100 cities with a page on this site, by region. Snow and days: NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 climate normals. Last column: our model's closing line (overnight snow at which a closure becomes likely), not a district policy.

City by city

City	Snow a year	Days with 3+ in.	Closing line
Atlanta, GA	1 in.	0.0	about 1 in.
Dallas, TX	2 in.	0.1	about 2 in.
Nashville, TN	3 in.	0.1	about 2 in.
Washington, DC	10 in.	1.3	about 5 in.
New York, NY	25 in.	3.0	about 7 in.
Chicago, IL	39 in.	3.6	about 7 in.
Denver, CO	49 in.	4.7	about 8 in.
Boston, MA	49 in.	5.0	about 8 in.
Minneapolis, MN	51 in.	5.0	about 8 in.
Buffalo, NY	95 in.	9.1	about 11 in.
Erie, PA	104 in.	11.0	about 12 in.

State by state

The overnight snow that usually closes schools in each state, worked out for every ZIP code there (33,448 in all) from its own NOAA snow normal. The range shows how much it varies inside a state: mountains and lake-effect snowbelts need far more snow than lowlands and valleys.

State	Snow that usually closes schools	Range in the state (in.)	Wind chill that closes schools
Alabama	about 1 in.	1–2	−20°F
Arizona	about 1 in.	1–6	−20°F
California	about 1 in.	1–4	−20°F
Florida	about 1 in.	1	−20°F
Georgia	about 1 in.	1–2	−20°F
Louisiana	about 1 in.	1–2	−20°F
Mississippi	about 1 in.	1–2	−20°F
South Carolina	about 1 in.	1–2	−20°F
Texas	about 1 in.	1–3	−20°F
Nevada	about 2 in.	1–8	−20°F
Arkansas	about 3 in.	2–4	−20°F
North Carolina	about 3 in.	2–4	−20°F
Tennessee	about 3 in.	2–4	−20°F
Oregon	about 3 in.	1–8	−20°F
Oklahoma	about 4 in.	2–5	−20°F
Washington	about 4 in.	2–8	−20°F
Kentucky	about 4 in.	3–6	−20°F
Virginia	about 5 in.	3–6	−20°F
District of Columbia	about 5 in.	4–5	−20°F
Missouri	about 5 in.	4–6	−21°F
Kansas	about 5 in.	4–6	−24°F
Delaware	about 5 in.	4–6	−20°F
New Mexico	about 5 in.	2–9	−24°F
Maryland	about 6 in.	4–7	−20°F
Indiana	about 6 in.	4–7	−24°F
Ohio	about 6 in.	5–8	−23°F
Illinois	about 6 in.	5–8	−24°F
West Virginia	about 6 in.	5–11	−21°F
New Jersey	about 7 in.	5–7	−20°F
Nebraska	about 7 in.	6–8	−29°F
Pennsylvania	about 7 in.	6–10	−23°F
Idaho	about 7 in.	5–11	−23°F
Iowa	about 7 in.	7–8	−32°F
Rhode Island	about 8 in.	7–9	−22°F
Montana	about 8 in.	5–11	−32°F
Colorado	about 8 in.	6–14	−28°F
South Dakota	about 8 in.	7–9	−35°F
Connecticut	about 8 in.	7–9	−24°F
Michigan	about 8 in.	7–14	−27°F
North Dakota	about 8 in.	8–9	−40°F
Utah	about 8 in.	5–11	−26°F
Minnesota	about 8 in.	8–9	−38°F
Wisconsin	about 8 in.	8–10	−33°F
Massachusetts	about 9 in.	7–10	−25°F
Wyoming	about 9 in.	6–11	−33°F
New York	about 9 in.	7–13	−27°F
Alaska	about 9 in.	7–13	−32°F
New Hampshire	about 10 in.	9–11	−30°F
Vermont	about 11 in.	9–13	−34°F
Maine	about 11 in.	10–12	−33°F

Median of the state's ZIP codes; range = 10th to 90th percentile. From our model's closing lines (snow: 1 in. plus 3.2 × the square root of days a year with 3+ in.; wind chill: normal winter low minus 45°F, between −40 and −20°F) and NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals. Not district policies. Hawaii is left out (no snow normals at school elevations). Free to cite with a link to this page.

Why the same snow means different things

Districts plan for their normal winter. A city that gets 3-inch snowfalls nine times a year has the plows, salt, budgets and habits for it; a city that sees one every few years does not, and its drivers and bus routes aren't used to it either. That is why the calculator compares each forecast with your local normal instead of using one fixed number.

Timing matters as much as inches

Overnight snow that ends by early morning gives crews time to clear roads. A delay is more likely than a closure.
Snow at bus time (roughly 5 to 8 AM) is the worst case: roads are covered when buses roll.
Snow that starts during the school day leads to early dismissals more than next-day closures.

When less snow closes schools

Ice. A tenth of an inch of freezing rain can be worse than several inches of snow. Ice closes schools almost everywhere.
A warning. A Winter Storm, Ice Storm or Blizzard Warning from the National Weather Service makes closures more likely.
Cold. Extreme wind chill at bus time can close schools with no snow at all. See wind chill and school closings.
Rural districts with long bus routes on hilly or unpaved roads often close when a city district nearby stays open.

Is 2 inches enough? Is 6?

2 inches: likely in the South and parts of the Mid-Atlantic, unlikely in the Northeast, Great Lakes and Upper Midwest. 6 inches overnight closes schools in most regions, but in the snowiest cities it often means a delay, depending on timing.

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.