What is an e-learning day in Minnesota?

A remote day in place of a closure, under Minn. Stat. 120A.414. A district may use up to five a year for inclement weather, each counts as a full day of instruction, and parents get at least two hours' notice. The plan is adopted by the school board after negotiation with the teachers' union, and some districts choose not to have one.

Why does Minneapolis need 8 inches when Atlanta closes on one?

Because the Twin Cities average 14.6 days a year with an inch or more of snow and treat it as ordinary. The model's 8-inch threshold is where a Minnesota closure becomes plausible; the same 2 inches that closes Atlanta is about a 5 percent day in Minneapolis.

Can the state make Minnesota districts make up snow days?

Only to the floor of 165 days and the hour minimums. We found no statute requiring make-up beyond that and no cap on forgiven days, which is why Minnesota districts rarely talk about June make-up days the way Michigan or Massachusetts districts do.

Snow day calculator Minnesota

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.

Minnesota schools usually close around 8 inches of overnight snow. Eight inches or a wind chill near -35 °F; Minnesota closes for cold more often than for snow. The meter below opens on Minneapolis; type your ZIP or town and it reads tonight's hourly forecast for your exact spot and scores it against the Minnesota threshold.

How much snow it takes in Minnesota

Minnesota closes for cold more than for snow. Minneapolis-St Paul averages 51.2 inches a season, 5 days with 3 inches or more and 2.1 days with 5 inches or more, and almost none of those days close the Twin Cities. Duluth averages 90.2 inches, International Falls 73, St Cloud 47.9, and December, not January, is the snowiest month at all four. The plows run, the buses run, and 6 inches is a normal commute.

So the model sets Minnesota at 8 inches overnight and gives wind chill its own term. The closures that actually happen look like 23 January 2026, when air temperatures near -19 and wind chills near -40 under an Extreme Cold Warning had districts across the state closing or calling e-learning days. The cold-day calculator on this site is built for exactly those mornings.

The other Minnesota pattern is the split decision. After the mid-March 2026 weekend blizzard, Minneapolis Public Schools closed its elementary schools and ran an e-learning day for middle and high school, while St Paul cancelled outright with no e-learning.

Minnesota winter by the numbers

Station	Snow per season	Days with 1″+	Days with 3″+	Snowiest month
Minneapolis-St Paul	51.2″	14.6	5.0	Dec
Duluth	90.2″	24.8	8.7	Dec
St Cloud	47.9″	14.8	5.0	Dec
International Falls	73.0″	23.2	6.9	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.

How closures are decided in Minnesota

Minnesota's calendar law is unusually short: at least 165 days of instruction for grades 1 to 11, with 425 hours for kindergarten, 935 for grades 1 to 6 and 1,020 for grades 7 to 12 (Minn. Stat. 120A.41). Because 165 is well under the 180 most states require, districts typically carry several days of slack, and we found no statutory make-up mandate or forgiveness cap.

The e-learning day has been in statute since the 2017 special session (Minn. Stat. 120A.414). A district or charter that chooses to have them may use up to five a year for inclement weather; each counts as a day of instruction and toward the hours. The school board adopts the plan after meeting and negotiating with the teachers' exclusive representative, and families must be told at least two hours before the normal start. Any of the 329 regular districts can decide not to adopt one, as St Paul's choice in March 2026 shows.

Minimum school year: 165 days for grades 1-11; 935 / 1,020 hours (Minn. Stat. 120A.41)
E-learning days: Up to 5 a year, count as instruction, 2 hours' notice (Minn. Stat. 120A.414)
Who adopts the plan: The school board, after negotiating with the teachers' union
Regular districts: 329 (NCES, 2021-22)

Questions people ask

How cold does it have to be to close school in Minnesota?: There is no state number; each district sets its own. The closures on 23 January 2026 came with air temperatures around -19 and wind chills near -40 under an Extreme Cold Warning. The meter scores wind chill at bus time and the warning itself; for a clear, brutally cold night use the cold-day calculator.
What is an e-learning day in Minnesota?: A remote day in place of a closure, under Minn. Stat. 120A.414. A district may use up to five a year for inclement weather, each counts as a full day of instruction, and parents get at least two hours' notice. The plan is adopted by the school board after negotiation with the teachers' union, and some districts choose not to have one.
Why does Minneapolis need 8 inches when Atlanta closes on one?: Because the Twin Cities average 14.6 days a year with an inch or more of snow and treat it as ordinary. The model's 8-inch threshold is where a Minnesota closure becomes plausible; the same 2 inches that closes Atlanta is about a 5 percent day in Minneapolis.
Can the state make Minnesota districts make up snow days?: Only to the floor of 165 days and the hour minimums. We found no statute requiring make-up beyond that and no cap on forgiven days, which is why Minnesota districts rarely talk about June make-up days the way Michigan or Massachusetts districts do.

Sources

Minn. Stat. 120A.41, length of school year (read 2026-10-10)
Minn. Stat. 120A.414, e-learning days (read 2026-10-10)
FOX 9, Minneapolis closes elementary schools and runs e-learning for secondary, 15 Mar 2026 (read 2026-10-10)
FOX 9, Minnesota school closings for extreme cold, 22 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, Minneapolis-St Paul, Duluth, St Cloud and International Falls (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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