Does New York City still have snow days?

Not traditional ones. In January 2026 the mayor said that when buildings close, instruction goes remote, because the calendar is set at exactly 180 days, and gave roughly 6 inches as the point at which buildings close. The meter scores the chance that buildings close; in the city that now means a remote day.

How much snow closes Buffalo schools?

Far more than the statewide threshold. Buffalo averages 95.4 inches a season and 9.1 days with 3 inches or more, so a 5-inch night is routine. Closures come with lake-effect bands measured in feet, as in November 2022, or with a Lake Effect Snow Warning for the morning. Read the warning line under the number.

Can an upstate district make a snow day remote?

Yes, since the 2022 regulation. The district stays in session remotely under its emergency remote instruction plan, the hours count, and the superintendent certifies it. There is no annual cap, and many districts still choose a plain closure for short storms.

Do New York snow days have to be made up?

Mostly. The commissioner can excuse up to five weather days, but only when the district has no scheduled vacation days left to convert. Beyond that each day short costs one 180th of foundation aid, which is why February and April breaks shrink in bad winters.

Snow day calculator New York

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.

New York schools usually close around 5 inches of overnight snow. NYC almost never closes; upstate and Long Island districts close at 5 to 8 inches, Buffalo at far more. The meter below opens on New York City; type your ZIP or town and it reads tonight's hourly forecast for your exact spot and scores it against the New York threshold.

How much snow it takes in New York

New York has three winters. Central Park averages 29.8 inches a season and 3.8 days with 3 inches or more; Albany 59.2 inches; and the lake belt is another planet: Buffalo 95.4 inches, Rochester 102, Syracuse 127.8 with 13.8 days of 3 inches or more and 34.1 days of an inch or more. February is the snowiest month in the city and January everywhere upstate. The model's 5-inch threshold is a Hudson Valley and Long Island number; Buffalo closes for lake-effect bands measured in feet, and the city for very little.

New York City is its own case. Its public schools closed for snow so rarely that the mayor announced in January 2026 there would be no traditional snow day at all: when buildings close, instruction goes remote, because the calendar is set at exactly 180 days, and about 6 inches was given as the rough point at which buildings close. On 26 January 2026 the city did exactly that.

Upstate, the lake decides. Buffalo Public Schools closed on the Monday and Tuesday of the November 2022 lake-effect storm, and has since closed on a Thursday ahead of forecast lake-effect snow with no remote instruction that day. The state transportation department fields about 1,635 large plow trucks and 54 tow plows; the lake-effect bands still win.

New York winter by the numbers

Station	Snow per season	Days with 1″+	Days with 3″+	Snowiest month
New York (Central Park)	29.8″	7.0	3.8	Feb
Buffalo	95.4″	25.6	9.1	Jan
Syracuse	127.8″	34.1	13.8	Jan
Rochester	102.0″	29.2	9.9	Jan
Albany	59.2″	14.6	5.9	Jan
Islip (Long Island)	31.8″	7.9	4.0	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.

How closures are decided in New York

New York requires schools to be in session for at least 180 days (Education Law 3604), and a district loses one 180th of its foundation aid for each day short. The commissioner may excuse up to five days lost to weather, but only if the district cannot make them up from its scheduled vacation days. A delay or early release for extraordinarily adverse weather still earns aid for up to two instructional hours per session day on the superintendent's certification.

The remote snow day became permanent on 28 September 2022 under 8 NYCRR 175.5(e): a district may remain in session and provide remote instruction instead of closing for extraordinary adverse weather, the time counts toward the annual hour requirement, and from 2023-24 it must follow the district's emergency remote instruction plan. It grew out of a snow day pilot that 126 districts used in 2020-21. There is no cap in the rule, and routine snow days need not be reported to the commissioner. Who decides is local: the superintendent certifies, and New York has 686 regular districts.

Minimum school year: 180 days in session; aid cut by 1/180 per missing day (Education Law 3604)
Excused weather days: Up to 5, only if they cannot be made up from vacation days
Remote snow days: Permitted since 28 Sep 2022 under 8 NYCRR 175.5(e), no cap
New York City: No traditional snow days; buildings close and instruction goes remote

Questions people ask

Does New York City still have snow days?: Not traditional ones. In January 2026 the mayor said that when buildings close, instruction goes remote, because the calendar is set at exactly 180 days, and gave roughly 6 inches as the point at which buildings close. The meter scores the chance that buildings close; in the city that now means a remote day.
How much snow closes Buffalo schools?: Far more than the statewide threshold. Buffalo averages 95.4 inches a season and 9.1 days with 3 inches or more, so a 5-inch night is routine. Closures come with lake-effect bands measured in feet, as in November 2022, or with a Lake Effect Snow Warning for the morning. Read the warning line under the number.
Can an upstate district make a snow day remote?: Yes, since the 2022 regulation. The district stays in session remotely under its emergency remote instruction plan, the hours count, and the superintendent certifies it. There is no annual cap, and many districts still choose a plain closure for short storms.
Do New York snow days have to be made up?: Mostly. The commissioner can excuse up to five weather days, but only when the district has no scheduled vacation days left to convert. Beyond that each day short costs one 180th of foundation aid, which is why February and April breaks shrink in bad winters.

Sources

N.Y. Education Law 3604, 180 days and excused weather days (read 2026-10-10)
8 NYCRR 175.5, remote instruction due to emergency conditions (NYSED counsel text) (read 2026-10-10)
Board of Regents, July 2022 item making the remote snow day rule permanent (read 2026-10-10)
ABC7 New York, NYC schools go remote for the 26 Jan 2026 storm, no traditional snow day (read 2026-10-10)
WIVB, Buffalo school closings in the November 2022 lake-effect storm (read 2026-10-10)
Governor of New York, winter weather update with NYSDOT fleet figures, 17 Feb 2025 (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, Central Park, Buffalo, Syracuse, Rochester, Albany and Islip (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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