Why are Delaware delays always two hours?

Because the code caps an unplanned weather delay or early dismissal at two hours (14 Del. C. 1049). A storm that needs more time than that becomes a closure, which is why the meter's delay-or-closure number and its closure number sit close together in Delaware.

Do Delaware schools have to make up snow days?

They have to reach their hours: 1,060 for most grades. Districts build surplus hours into the calendar, and the Department of Education with State Board approval can reduce the requirement for cause. There is no published count of free snow days.

Does Wilmington close on 3 inches?

Often. Wilmington averages only two days a year with 3 inches or more, so a 3-inch night is a real event rather than routine, and ice or a storm still falling at bus time pushes the chance higher. The February 2021 storm closed every large New Castle County district.

Are Delaware snow days virtual now?

It depends on the district. There is no state rule we could find; a March 2024 report described districts weighing a day off against virtual learning, and in February 2021 the big New Castle County districts closed with no remote learning while Capital and Smyrna went virtual.

Snow day calculator Delaware

Chance of a snow day

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Best time to check

The evening before, after 9 pm: The evening model runs are in by then and the forecast here refreshes every 30 minutes. A number read at 6 pm can move by several inches of snow before midnight.
The morning of, 5 to 7 am: The strip above shades 4 to 7 am. Snow still falling in those hours lands on the commute, so the model counts it extra, and most districts have decided by the time the buses roll at 7.

When districts actually decide

Portland Public Schools, Oregon publishes its closure decision no later than 5 am (read 10 Oct 2026)
Omaha Public Schools announced the 23 January 2026 cold closure at 5:50 pm the evening before (read 10 Oct 2026)
Little Rock School District announced a two-day closure the afternoon before the 9 January 2025 storm (read 10 Oct 2026)
Minnesota e-learning days must be announced at least two hours before the normal start time, by statute (read 10 Oct 2026)

Every district sets its own cut-off; these are published examples, not a rule.

Delaware schools usually close around 3 inches of overnight snow. Three inches overnight usually does it, and ice closes at less. The meter below opens on Wilmington; type your ZIP or town and it reads tonight's hourly forecast for your exact spot and scores it against the Delaware threshold.

How much snow it takes in Delaware

Delaware is small enough that one storm usually covers it, and flat enough that three inches is the working number. Wilmington's airport averages 20.2 inches a season, 5.3 days with an inch or more and 2 days with 3 inches or more, so a 3-inch night happens about twice a winter. February is the snowiest month. Sussex County, down the Delmarva peninsula, sees less and closes on less.

Ice does the rest. DelDOT runs more than 300 plows across nearly 14,000 lane miles and pre-treats with brine, but says it will not brine if the precipitation is forecast to start as rain and that salt loses effectiveness below 20 degrees. The meter reads those same conditions out of the hourly forecast: freezing rain hours and a cold, wet start score higher than the depth alone.

The 1 February 2021 storm is a fair picture of how the state behaves. Appoquinimink, Brandywine, Christina, Colonial, Red Clay and New Castle County Vo-Tech closed outright with no remote learning; Capital and Smyrna went remote; Sussex Tech ran a remote day.

Delaware winter by the numbers

Station	Snow per season	Days with 1″+	Days with 3″+	Snowiest month
Wilmington	20.2″	5.3	2.0	Feb

1991-2020 climate normals for the airport or first-order station in each city, read 2026-10-10 from the NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. “Days with 3″+” is the average number of calendar days a year with at least 3 inches of new snow.

How closures are decided in Delaware

Delaware's school year is written in hours, not days. The code sets 1,060 instructional hours for kindergarten through grade 11 and 1,032 for grade 12, with a school day of at least three and a half hours excluding lunch (14 Del. C. 1049). An unplanned weather delay or early dismissal may be no more than two hours, which is why Delaware districts announce a two-hour delay and never a three-hour one.

There is no fixed number of forgiven snow days. The Department of Education, with State Board approval, may reduce the required hours for just cause or unusual circumstances (14 Del. C. 1305), and districts build spare hours into their calendars to avoid asking. We found no state rule on remote snow days; a March 2024 report described districts statewide choosing for themselves between a day off and virtual learning. With only 19 regular districts, most families are in one of a handful of large New Castle County systems whose decisions tend to move together.

Minimum school year: 1,060 hours K-11, 1,032 hours grade 12 (14 Del. C. 1049)
Weather delays: Capped at 2 hours per delay or early dismissal
Hour reductions: Department and State Board may reduce hours for cause (14 Del. C. 1305)
Regular districts: 19 (NCES, 2021-22)

Questions people ask

Why are Delaware delays always two hours?: Because the code caps an unplanned weather delay or early dismissal at two hours (14 Del. C. 1049). A storm that needs more time than that becomes a closure, which is why the meter's delay-or-closure number and its closure number sit close together in Delaware.
Do Delaware schools have to make up snow days?: They have to reach their hours: 1,060 for most grades. Districts build surplus hours into the calendar, and the Department of Education with State Board approval can reduce the requirement for cause. There is no published count of free snow days.
Does Wilmington close on 3 inches?: Often. Wilmington averages only two days a year with 3 inches or more, so a 3-inch night is a real event rather than routine, and ice or a storm still falling at bus time pushes the chance higher. The February 2021 storm closed every large New Castle County district.
Are Delaware snow days virtual now?: It depends on the district. There is no state rule we could find; a March 2024 report described districts weighing a day off against virtual learning, and in February 2021 the big New Castle County districts closed with no remote learning while Capital and Smyrna went virtual.

Sources

14 Del. C. 1049, instructional hours and the two-hour weather delay cap (read 2026-10-10)
14 Del. C. 1305, reduction of required hours for cause (read 2026-10-10)
DelDOT snow FAQ: plows, lane miles, brine and salt limits (read 2026-10-10)
Delaware Public Media, which districts closed or went remote on 1 Feb 2021 (read 2026-10-10)
Delaware Public Media, snow days versus virtual learning, 1 Mar 2024 (read 2026-10-10)
NCES Digest table 214.30, regular school districts by state, 2021-22 (read 2026-10-10)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, Wilmington (read 2026-10-10)

The closure threshold itself is our model's estimate from typical district practice, not an official figure. Districts, not states, make the call. The model page shows every term.

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