How many online snow days can an Iowa district have?

Five days or thirty hours a year, under Iowa Code 279.10, and the Department of Education's 2026 FAQ confirms those count toward the 180 days or 1,080 hours. Anything beyond that has to be made up in person.

Does Des Moines close for cold?

Yes. On 23 January 2026 Des Moines Public Schools cancelled classes under an Extreme Cold Warning with wind chills near -29 and no fresh snow. The meter scores wind chill at bus time and the warning itself; the cold-day calculator on this site is built for that forecast.

Why do rural Iowa districts close when Des Moines stays open?

Drifting. Open gravel roads blow shut in a strong northwest wind while city arterials stay plowed, so the same 5 inches is a late start in the city and a Blizzard Warning closure in the country. The meter adds a wind term when there is snow on the ground and wind over 35 mph.

Does a two-hour delay count as a school day in Iowa?

On a 180-day calendar, a shortened emergency day may still count as a day. On a 1,080-hour calendar the missed hours do not count and must be found elsewhere, which is why hour-based districts tend to build in more slack.

Snow day calculator Iowa

Chance of a snow day

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Type a ZIP

School

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.

Iowa schools usually close around 5 inches of overnight snow. Wind and drifting matter more than totals; blizzard warnings close rural districts fast. The meter below opens on Des Moines; type your ZIP or town and it reads tonight's hourly forecast for your exact spot and scores it against the Iowa threshold.

How much snow it takes in Iowa

Iowa closes for wind and cold more than for inches. Des Moines averages 36.5 inches a season and 3.9 days with 3 inches or more; Dubuque on the Mississippi bluffs 42.5 inches; Sioux City and Cedar Rapids about 36 and 34. February is the snowiest month in the west and January in the northeast. Five inches on a calm night usually means a late start; five inches with a 40 mph wind means drifted county roads and a Blizzard Warning, and rural districts close fast.

The model's 5-inch threshold is paired with wind and wind chill terms for that reason. The closures Des Moines Public Schools actually records are telling: 9 and 12 January 2024 during a run of storms and cold, and 23 January 2026 under an Extreme Cold Warning with a forecast low of -8 and wind chills near -29, with no new snow at all. The Iowa DOT's roughly 900 trucks clear 24,500 lane miles of state highway in two to three hours per route; the gravel roads the buses use are the county's.

Iowa winter by the numbers

Station	Snow per season	Days with 1″+	Days with 3″+	Snowiest month
Des Moines	36.5″	11.0	3.9	Feb
Sioux City	36.0″	11.2	3.4	Feb
Dubuque	42.5″	13.3	4.9	Jan
Cedar Rapids	34.3″	10.5	3.7	Dec

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. Cedar Rapids' figures are from the co-operative station in the city; the airport has no published snow normal.

How closures are decided in Iowa

Iowa gives districts a choice: a calendar of at least 180 days of at least six hours, or 1,080 hours of instruction (Iowa Code 279.10). The choice matters on a snow day. A day-based district may count a shortened emergency day as a day, while an hour-based district cannot count time missed for health or safety, so hour-based calendars carry more slack. The statute expects calendars to be extended after weather closures, with graduating seniors excused, and we found no cap on forgiven days or a standing state waiver.

Remote days have a fixed allowance in the same section: not more than five days or thirty hours of instruction may be delivered primarily over the internet and still count toward the minimum, which the Department of Education's April 2026 FAQ confirms. The local board adopts the calendar after a public hearing and makes its own closure decisions; there are 327 regular districts, many of them small rural systems where drifting roads are the whole question.

Minimum school year: 180 days of 6 hours, or 1,080 hours (Iowa Code 279.10)
Online days: Up to 5 days or 30 hours a year may be delivered primarily over the internet
Shortened days: Count as a day on a day-based calendar; missed time does not count on an hours calendar
Regular districts: 327 (NCES, 2021-22)

Questions people ask

How many online snow days can an Iowa district have?: Five days or thirty hours a year, under Iowa Code 279.10, and the Department of Education's 2026 FAQ confirms those count toward the 180 days or 1,080 hours. Anything beyond that has to be made up in person.
Does Des Moines close for cold?: Yes. On 23 January 2026 Des Moines Public Schools cancelled classes under an Extreme Cold Warning with wind chills near -29 and no fresh snow. The meter scores wind chill at bus time and the warning itself; the cold-day calculator on this site is built for that forecast.
Why do rural Iowa districts close when Des Moines stays open?: Drifting. Open gravel roads blow shut in a strong northwest wind while city arterials stay plowed, so the same 5 inches is a late start in the city and a Blizzard Warning closure in the country. The meter adds a wind term when there is snow on the ground and wind over 35 mph.
Does a two-hour delay count as a school day in Iowa?: On a 180-day calendar, a shortened emergency day may still count as a day. On a 1,080-hour calendar the missed hours do not count and must be found elsewhere, which is why hour-based districts tend to build in more slack.

Sources

Iowa Code 279.10, school year, days and hours, online instruction (archived copy) (read 2026-10-10)
Iowa Department of Education, instructional time FAQ, 15 Apr 2026 (read 2026-10-10)
Cityview, Des Moines Public Schools cancels classes for extreme cold, 22 Jan 2026 (read 2026-10-10)
Des Moines Public Schools, history of weather-related closings (archived copy) (read 2026-10-10)
Iowa DOT, snow removal operations (archived copy) (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, Des Moines, Dubuque, Sioux City and Cedar Rapids (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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