Snow day calculator New Hampshire
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.
New Hampshire schools usually close around 6 inches of overnight snow. Six inches overnight; delays at four; ice storms close everything. The meter below opens on Manchester; type your ZIP or town and it reads tonight's hourly forecast for your exact spot and scores it against the New Hampshire threshold.
How much snow it takes in New Hampshire
New Hampshire delays at 4 inches and closes at 6, and the climate explains the gap. Concord averages 67.7 inches a season with 7.8 days of 3 inches or more and 4.2 days of 5 inches or more; Nashua, down in the Merrimack Valley, averages 52.9 inches. January is the snowiest month at both. A district that closed on 4 inches would lose a week every winter, so towns plow overnight and open two hours late instead.
Ice is the exception. An ice storm on the hill towns closes everything regardless of depth, and the model gives each hour of freezing rain its own weight. Mount Washington, at 281.8 inches a season, is in the table for scale rather than for anyone's school run.
Since December 2024 New Hampshire has had a state rule that expressly lets a remote day stand in when the weather makes the bus run unsafe.
New Hampshire winter by the numbers
| Station | Snow per season | Days with 1″+ | Days with 3″+ | Snowiest month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concord | 67.7″ | 16.5 | 7.8 | Jan |
| Mount Washington | 281.8″ | 73.7 | 31.2 | Dec |
| Nashua | 52.9″ | 14.4 | 6.9 | Jan |
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 Manchester airport; Nashua is the nearest station with one.
How closures are decided in New Hampshire
New Hampshire's minimum standards set the year in hours: at least 945 hours of instructional time for elementary schools, 990 for middle and high schools and 450 for kindergarten (Ed 306.18, implementing RSA 189:1 and 189:24). We could not reach the statute text itself to confirm the 180-day figure that the Education Commission of the States lists, so the hours are the rule we can cite.
The remote-learning rule, Ed 306.18 as amended effective 13 December 2024, says remote learning satisfies the instructional-time requirement when inclement weather makes it unsafe to transport students to or from school, among other triggers, under a policy adopted by the local school board. The rule states no cap on such days and no commissioner approval step. We did not find a state make-up rule or a published list of closures; the 180 regular districts and their cooperative unions make the call.
- Minimum school year
- 945 elementary / 990 middle and high / 450 kindergarten hours (Ed 306.18)
- Remote weather days
- Allowed under local board policy when transport is unsafe (Ed 306.18, eff. 13 Dec 2024)
- Cap on remote days
- None stated in the rule
- Regular districts
- 180 (NCES, 2021-22)
Questions people ask
- Can New Hampshire schools hold a remote day instead of a snow day?
- Yes, since the amended Ed 306.18 took effect on 13 December 2024. Remote learning counts toward the required hours when inclement weather makes it unsafe to transport students, provided the school board has adopted a remote-learning policy. The rule sets no limit on how many such days a district may use.
- Is 4 inches a delay or a closure in New Hampshire?
- Usually a two-hour delay. Concord averages 7.8 days a year with 3 inches or more, so towns are set up to plow that much overnight. Closures become common from about 6 inches, or at any depth when freezing rain is in the forecast. The meter shows a separate delay-or-closure number for this.
- How much snow does Concord get compared with Nashua?
- Concord's airport averages 67.7 inches a season against Nashua's 52.9, although both average 4.2 days a year with 5 inches or more. The southern tier mixes with rain more often; the meter reads the hourly forecast for your own coordinates rather than a state average.
- Do New Hampshire snow days have to be made up?
- The requirement is hours, so a district that falls below 945 or 990 hours has to find them somewhere, by adding days or using a remote day under its board policy. We did not find a state rule that forgives a set number of weather days.
Sources
- N.H. Admin. Code Ed 306.18, remote learning and instructional hours (read 2026-10-10)
- Education Commission of the States, instructional time policies 2023 (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, Concord, Nashua and Mount Washington (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.
Embed this calculator
Paste this anywhere HTML is allowed. It is free; keep the credit link.
<iframe src="https://snowdaymeter.com/embed/snow-day" width="100%" height="760" loading="lazy" title="Snow day calculator New Hampshire"></iframe> <p><a href="https://snowdaymeter.com/snow-day-calculator/new-hampshire">Snow day calculator New Hampshire</a> by SnowDayMeter</p>