Can Maryland schools hold a virtual day instead of a snow day?

Yes, once the county board has authorised it at an open meeting and the calendar's built-in closure days are gone. Education Article 7-103.2 requires at least four hours of live instruction on each virtual day and sets no yearly cap. Until the calendar days run out, a storm is a plain closure.

Why does Montgomery County close when Garrett County stays open?

Garrett County, at 2,000 feet in the Alleghenies, is built for snow that would paralyse the Washington suburbs. Baltimore averages only 2 days a year with 3 inches or more, so a 3-inch night is unusual there and routine out west. The meter uses the same 3-inch statewide threshold, so read the reasons for your own ZIP.

Do Maryland snow days have to be made up?

Yes, unless the State Board grants an adjustment. The law requires 180 days and 1,080 hours, bars weekend make-up sessions, and lets the State Board shorten the year only on a county's written application after severe weather or a disaster. Most counties plan a few spare days in the calendar for this.

What closed Baltimore schools on 27 January 2026?

A Sunday snowstorm that left roads unploughed by Tuesday morning. Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel, Carroll, Harford and Howard all announced closures for inclement weather. The meter would have scored the storm's total, the snow still on side streets, and the warning for the area.

Snow day calculator Maryland

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.

Maryland schools usually close around 3 inches of overnight snow. Baltimore and the DC suburbs close on 3 inches or ice; Western Maryland tolerates more. The meter below opens on Baltimore; type your ZIP or town and it reads tonight's hourly forecast for your exact spot and scores it against the Maryland threshold.

How much snow it takes in Maryland

Maryland closes by county, and the counties do not agree. Baltimore's BWI station averages 19.3 inches a season and 2 days a year with 3 inches or more; Salisbury on the Eastern Shore averages 8 inches and 0.9 such days; Garrett County in the far west sees lake-effect snow off Lake Erie that the rest of the state never does. February is the snowiest month on both sides of the Bay.

The model's 3-inch threshold is the Baltimore and Washington-suburb number. Montgomery, Prince George's, Howard and Anne Arundel close on 3 inches overnight or on a glaze of ice, partly because their bus fleets cover long suburban routes before dawn. Western Maryland tolerates more; the Shore closes on less. On 27 January 2026, after a Sunday snowstorm, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel, Carroll, Harford and Howard all closed on the same morning, which is about as unanimous as the state gets.

Maryland winter by the numbers

Station	Snow per season	Days with 1″+	Days with 3″+	Snowiest month
Baltimore (BWI)	19.3″	4.6	2.0	Feb
Salisbury	8.0″	2.5	0.9	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. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Hagerstown.

How closures are decided in Maryland

Maryland schools must be open for at least 180 actual school days and 1,080 hours in a 10-month period (Md. Code, Educ. 7-103), and may not use Saturdays, Sundays or holidays to get there. When severe weather, a natural disaster or a civil disaster prevents attendance, the State Board may shorten or lengthen the year on a county board's written application, and state and local funding may not be cut if a year ends under 180 days.

The remote option is written into statute as virtual education days for severe weather (Educ. 7-103.2). A county board must authorise the county superintendent to use them at an open meeting, publish its plan on the school system's website, and may only call a virtual day after all the closure days built into the calendar are used up. Each virtual day must carry at least four hours of synchronous instruction. The statute sets no annual cap. With only 24 regular districts, one per county plus Baltimore City, a single superintendent's call covers hundreds of schools.

Minimum school year: 180 days and 1,080 hours (Md. Code, Educ. 7-103)
Virtual weather days: Allowed after calendar closure days are used; 4 synchronous hours minimum (Educ. 7-103.2)
Weekend make-up: Not allowed toward the 180 days
Regular districts: 24 (NCES, 2021-22)

Questions people ask

Can Maryland schools hold a virtual day instead of a snow day?: Yes, once the county board has authorised it at an open meeting and the calendar's built-in closure days are gone. Education Article 7-103.2 requires at least four hours of live instruction on each virtual day and sets no yearly cap. Until the calendar days run out, a storm is a plain closure.
Why does Montgomery County close when Garrett County stays open?: Garrett County, at 2,000 feet in the Alleghenies, is built for snow that would paralyse the Washington suburbs. Baltimore averages only 2 days a year with 3 inches or more, so a 3-inch night is unusual there and routine out west. The meter uses the same 3-inch statewide threshold, so read the reasons for your own ZIP.
Do Maryland snow days have to be made up?: Yes, unless the State Board grants an adjustment. The law requires 180 days and 1,080 hours, bars weekend make-up sessions, and lets the State Board shorten the year only on a county's written application after severe weather or a disaster. Most counties plan a few spare days in the calendar for this.
What closed Baltimore schools on 27 January 2026?: A Sunday snowstorm that left roads unploughed by Tuesday morning. Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel, Carroll, Harford and Howard all announced closures for inclement weather. The meter would have scored the storm's total, the snow still on side streets, and the warning for the area.

Sources

Md. Code, Education 7-103, school year of 180 days and 1,080 hours (read 2026-10-10)
Md. Code, Education 7-103.2, virtual education days for severe weather (read 2026-10-10)
WMAR, school closings for 27 Jan 2026 (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, Baltimore BWI and Salisbury (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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