School Closing Predictions
Will your school close tomorrow?
Enter your ZIP code or school district for tomorrow's prediction: the chance of a closure and of a delay, from tonight's National Weather Service forecast for your area. It's an estimate, not an official closing.
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Snow by hour
From the National Weather Service forecast, updated hourly. Estimate only. Your district makes the call.
Prediction vs. official closing
A prediction tells you how likely a closure is before the district decides. It's most useful the evening before, when you're planning childcare, alarms and the morning commute. The district's own announcement, usually early in the morning, is the only official word.
- Evening: check the prediction once the evening forecast is in.
- Before bed: check again; storms often trend stronger or weaker overnight.
- Morning: look for your district's alert, website or local TV closing list.
What goes into each prediction
- Overnight snow between 6 PM and 8 AM, and snow during the school day.
- Ice from freezing rain, which closes schools at much smaller amounts than snow.
- Wind chill at bus time, 5 to 8 AM.
- National Weather Service winter alerts for your county.
- Your area's normal snow, because districts used to snow need much more of it to close.
Also try the two-hour delay calculator and the 5-day snow day predictor. How it works.
Predictions by state
Tomorrow's chances for each state's largest cities and school districts, starting with the snowiest:
Snowbelt cities
Where lake-effect and mountain snow make closing predictions a winter habit, and the snow that usually closes schools:
- Syracuse, NY · about 13 in.
- Rochester, NY · about 11 in.
- Buffalo, NY · about 10.5 in.
- Erie, PA · about 11.5 in.
- Grand Rapids, MI · about 10 in.
- Cleveland, OH · about 9 in.
- Minneapolis, MN · about 8 in.
- Denver, CO · about 8 in.
School closing prediction questions
Are these official school closings?
No. This is a prediction: the chance your district closes or delays, worked out from tonight's National Weather Service forecast. Only your district announces a closing, on its website, by text or phone alert, and through local TV and radio.
How are the school closing predictions made?
For your ZIP code we read the National Weather Service forecast for overnight snow, ice and the wind chill at bus time, and compare it with how much snow your area usually gets (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). The same storm is more likely to close schools where snow is rare. The full method is on the How it works page.
When are the predictions updated?
Every hour overnight during the season, from 2 PM to 9 AM Eastern, as new National Weather Service forecasts come in. The card shows the time of the forecast it used.
How accurate are school closing predictions?
We haven't published an accuracy number yet. This winter we compare our chances with what districts actually did, from parent reports, and publish the results on the Accuracy page once enough storm days are checked.
Where can I see the official closing list for tomorrow?
Your district's website and alert system are the official source. Local TV stations also publish closing and delay lists on storm mornings.