How many snow days does a Massachusetts district get?

Five, in effect. Districts schedule 185 days and must operate 180. Days lost through 31 March are made up in full; after 31 March the make-up stops at 180 days or the scheduled 185th day. The commissioner considers a waiver only after five emergency closures.

Does Boston close on 6 inches?

Often, if it is still falling at bus time. Logan averages 3.1 days a year with 5 inches or more, so a 6-inch night is a few-times-a-winter event, and city streets take longer to clear than suburban ones. Boston closed on 27 January 2026 after 19 inches in a day, which was never in doubt.

Why does Worcester get so much more snow than Boston?

Elevation and distance from the ocean. Worcester's airport sits near 1,000 feet, where coastal storms stay all snow while Boston mixes with rain, so its normal is 72.9 inches against Logan's 49.2. The meter reads the hourly forecast for your coordinates, so the two cities score differently on the same night.

Snow day calculator Massachusetts

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.

Massachusetts schools usually close around 6 inches of overnight snow. Six inches overnight is the classic Boston closure; nor'easters with wind close on less. The meter below opens on Boston; type your ZIP or town and it reads tonight's hourly forecast for your exact spot and scores it against the Massachusetts threshold.

How much snow it takes in Massachusetts

Six inches overnight is the classic Boston snow day, and the numbers explain why it is not lower. Logan averages 49.2 inches a season with 5 days of 3 inches or more and 3.1 days of 5 inches or more; Worcester, up on the hills, averages 72.9 inches and 7.6 days of 3 inches or more. February is the snowiest month at both. Towns plow all night, and a district that closed on 4 inches would close every other week.

A nor'easter moves the line. Wind, coastal flooding and snow still falling at 7 am close schools on less than 6 inches, and the model treats a Winter Storm Warning and wind over 35 mph as separate terms for that reason. The 26 and 27 January 2026 storm shows both ends: Concord closed in advance on the Monday for a forecast of 6 to 10 inches by day and 10 to 14 more overnight, and Boston Public Schools closed on the Tuesday after 19 inches fell in 24 hours.

The remote snow day is gone. Massachusetts counted it for the 2020-21 year only; since then the state has said remote learning on a snow day does not count toward required time.

Massachusetts winter by the numbers

Station	Snow per season	Days with 1″+	Days with 3″+	Snowiest month
Boston	49.2″	11.1	5.0	Feb
Worcester	72.9″	16.3	7.6	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 Westfield-Barnes, the Springfield area station.

How closures are decided in Massachusetts

Massachusetts schedules 185 days and must operate at least 180 (603 CMR 27.03), with 900 hours of structured learning time for elementary pupils and 990 for secondary (603 CMR 27.04). Those five scheduled days above the floor are the state's snow days. The department's November 2024 advisory sets the rule for using them up: every day lost to weather, health or safety through 31 March must be made up as a full day, and days lost after 31 March are made up until the district reaches 180 days or its scheduled 185th day, whichever comes first.

A waiver of the 180-day minimum is in the commissioner's discretion (603 CMR 27.06) and the advisory says it will be considered only after a district has already closed five times, case by case. Remote learning counts as structured learning time only under a governor's emergency declaration or a Board determination (603 CMR 27.08), which is why a remote snow day has not counted since 2020-21. Each of the 322 regular districts and its superintendent makes the closure call.

Minimum school year: 185 scheduled, 180 operated; 900 / 990 hours (603 CMR 27.03, 27.04)
Make-up rule: Days lost through 31 March are made up in full; waivers considered after 5 closures
Remote snow days: Do not count toward structured learning time since 2020-21
Regular districts: 322 (NCES, 2021-22)

Questions people ask

Can Massachusetts schools do remote learning on a snow day?: They can hold it, but it does not count. Remote learning counts as structured learning time only under a governor's emergency declaration or a Board determination (603 CMR 27.08). The state allowed remote snow days for 2020-21 and then ended it, so a closure is a closure.
How many snow days does a Massachusetts district get?: Five, in effect. Districts schedule 185 days and must operate 180. Days lost through 31 March are made up in full; after 31 March the make-up stops at 180 days or the scheduled 185th day. The commissioner considers a waiver only after five emergency closures.
Does Boston close on 6 inches?: Often, if it is still falling at bus time. Logan averages 3.1 days a year with 5 inches or more, so a 6-inch night is a few-times-a-winter event, and city streets take longer to clear than suburban ones. Boston closed on 27 January 2026 after 19 inches in a day, which was never in doubt.
Why does Worcester get so much more snow than Boston?: Elevation and distance from the ocean. Worcester's airport sits near 1,000 feet, where coastal storms stay all snow while Boston mixes with rain, so its normal is 72.9 inches against Logan's 49.2. The meter reads the hourly forecast for your coordinates, so the two cities score differently on the same night.

Sources

603 CMR 27, student learning time regulations (read 2026-10-10)
DESE, student learning time advisory, 12 Nov 2024 (make-up and waiver rules) (read 2026-10-10)
Government Technology, Massachusetts ends virtual learning on snow days, Mar 2023 (read 2026-10-10)
City of Boston, snow emergency and Boston Public Schools closure, 27 Jan 2026 (read 2026-10-10)
The Concord Bridge, Concord schools close ahead of the storm, 25 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, Boston Logan and Worcester (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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