How much snow does it take to cancel school?
There is no single number. Around 1 inch overnight is enough where snow is rare, and it takes 9 inches or more where it falls every week. The figures below are the ones the snow day calculator uses. They are our judgement from how much snow each state normally gets, not a record of what districts did.
Reviewed 12 October 2026. The calculator that uses these lines was checked against 2,024 real school days in 17 districts.
The closing line, by kind of district
The closing line is the overnight snowfall at which closing is a coin flip.
| District | Closing line | States that start here |
|---|---|---|
| Closes for a dusting | 1 in | Alabama , Arizona , California , Florida , Georgia , Hawaii , Louisiana , Mississippi , Nevada , South Carolina , Texas |
| Closes for a few inches | 3 in | Arkansas , Delaware , District of Columbia , Kentucky , Maryland , Missouri , New Mexico , North Carolina , Oklahoma , Oregon , Tennessee , Virginia , Washington |
| Used to snow | 6 in | Colorado , Connecticut , Idaho , Illinois , Indiana , Iowa , Kansas , Massachusetts , Nebraska , New Jersey , New York , Ohio , Pennsylvania , Rhode Island , Utah , West Virginia |
| Almost never closes | 9 in | Alaska , Maine , Michigan , Minnesota , Montana , New Hampshire , North Dakota , South Dakota , Vermont , Wisconsin , Wyoming |
A state is a blunt unit. A mountain district and a coastal city in the same state can sit in different rows, so the calculator lets you change the setting.
What each amount does
The chance of a closure when this much snow falls between midnight and 8 a.m. and nothing else is in the forecast.
| Snow | Closes for a dusting | Closes for a few inches | Used to snow | Almost never closes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 50% | 6% | 3% | 3% |
| 2 in | 98% | 21% | 6% | 4% |
| 3 in | 99% | 50% | 12% | 6% |
| 4 in | 99% | 79% | 21% | 10% |
| 6 in | 99% | 98% | 50% | 21% |
| 8 in | 99% | 99% | 79% | 39% |
| 12 in | 99% | 99% | 98% | 79% |
Why the total is only half the answer
- Timing. Six inches that stop at 10 p.m. are plowed by morning. Six inches falling at 5 a.m. are on the road when buses leave. In a district used to snow the calculator gives 17% for the first and 50% for the second.
- Ice. A glaze of freezing rain closes schools at a fraction of an inch.
- Wind. Gusts drift snow back over cleared roads, so a windy 4 inches can do more than a calm 6.
- Cold. Dangerous wind chill at the bus stop closes or delays school with no snow at all.
- The district. Long rural bus routes close before city schools where most students walk.
Common questions
Can 1 inch of snow cancel school?
Yes, where snow is rare. In districts that close for a dusting, 1 inch overnight makes closing a coin flip, because there are few plows and little practice. In districts used to snow, 1 inch overnight gives about a 3% chance in this calculator.
Is 2 inches of snow enough to cancel school?
In the South, usually: about 98% in this calculator. In the mid-Atlantic and Pacific Northwest it is uncertain, about 21%. In the Midwest and Northeast it rarely is, about 6%.
Is 3 inches of snow enough to cancel school?
It is the coin-flip amount for districts that close for a few inches, and about 12% for districts used to snow, if it falls overnight. The same 3 inches ending before midnight counts for less.
What is considered a lot of snow for schools?
It is relative to what a district handles every winter. Roughly 6 inches overnight is a lot for most northern districts; 9 inches is a lot even for the snowiest.
Does ice count the same as snow?
No. About 0.1 inch of freezing rain does what several inches of snow do, and it closes schools in every part of the country.