Why does Seattle close on 2 inches when Spokane does not?

Hills and habit. Seattle averages 0.6 days a year with 3 inches or more, does not plow residential streets, and runs buses on grades that ice overnight; Spokane averages 45.4 inches a season and is equipped for it. The meter applies the same 2.5-inch statewide threshold, so read the reasons for an east-side ZIP.

Do Washington schools have to make up snow days?

Yes, unless OSPI waives them, and a waiver comes only after a reasonable effort: extending the year through 14 June, converting vacation days and making up at least three days per storm. Under a governor's emergency proclamation, meeting the hour minimums alone can be enough.

Can a Washington district hold remote learning instead of closing?

We found no state rule allowing a remote weather day to count, and the state's transportation and education guidance pages were partly blocked when we checked. Ask your district; the meter scores the chance that buildings close.

How often does Seattle actually get a snow day's worth of snow?

Sea-Tac records an inch or more on about 1.9 days a year and 3 inches or more on 0.6 days, so a 2-inch morning happens most winters but not every one. A wet snow that freezes overnight on the hills is the typical Seattle closure, and the meter's warm-air and ice terms are tuned for it.

Snow day calculator Washington

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.

Washington schools usually close around 2.5 inches of overnight snow. Seattle closes on 2 inches on its hills; Spokane and the east side at 6 or more. The meter below opens on Seattle; type your ZIP or town and it reads tonight's hourly forecast for your exact spot and scores it against the Washington threshold.

How much snow it takes in Washington

Washington is two states divided by the Cascades. Sea-Tac averages 6.3 inches of snow a season, 1.9 days with an inch or more and 0.6 days with 3 inches or more, with February the snowiest month; Spokane averages 45.4 inches and 4.1 days with 3 inches or more; Yakima 20.3 inches. The model's 2.5-inch threshold is a Seattle number: 2 inches on the city's hills, with buses that cannot climb them and side streets the city does not plow, closes Seattle Public Schools, while Spokane and the east side run on 6 inches or more.

Seattle's snow also tends to arrive at the wrong temperature. A marginal storm that falls as wet snow at 33 degrees and freezes overnight is the Puget Sound closure, and the meter's warm-air and ice terms are built for it. The state transportation department's pages were blocked when we checked, so no fleet figures are given here.

Washington winter by the numbers

Station	Snow per season	Days with 1″+	Days with 3″+	Snowiest month
Seattle (Sea-Tac)	6.3″	1.9	0.6	Feb
Spokane	45.4″	15.0	4.1	Dec
Yakima	20.3″	6.5	2.1	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 Washington

Washington requires 180 school days a year and 1,000 instructional hours for grades 1 to 8 and 1,080 for grades 9 to 12 (RCW 28A.150.220), which the state reads as a district-wide average of at least 1,027 hours. The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction can waive school days lost to weather and other unforeseen emergencies, but only after the district shows a reasonable effort to make them up: extending the year to and through 14 June, using vacation days, and making up at least three school days per incident, with the hours still met (WAC 392-129-105). The application lists the specific make-up dates and is signed by the superintendent with the board's support. Under a governor's emergency proclamation, meeting the hours alone can satisfy the test.

We found no state rule that lets a remote day stand in for a weather closure, and the State Board of Education notes that parent-teacher conference hours cannot be used to backfill snow days. Vancouver Public Schools' request for an emergency waiver after a January storm shows the route districts take. Each of the 298 regular districts decides its own closures.

Minimum school year: 180 days; 1,000 hours grades 1-8, 1,080 grades 9-12 (RCW 28A.150.220)
Weather waivers: From OSPI, after extending the year to 14 June, using vacation days and making up 3 days per incident (WAC 392-129-105)
Remote snow days: No state rule found
Regular districts: 298 (NCES, 2021-22)

Questions people ask

Why does Seattle close on 2 inches when Spokane does not?: Hills and habit. Seattle averages 0.6 days a year with 3 inches or more, does not plow residential streets, and runs buses on grades that ice overnight; Spokane averages 45.4 inches a season and is equipped for it. The meter applies the same 2.5-inch statewide threshold, so read the reasons for an east-side ZIP.
Do Washington schools have to make up snow days?: Yes, unless OSPI waives them, and a waiver comes only after a reasonable effort: extending the year through 14 June, converting vacation days and making up at least three days per storm. Under a governor's emergency proclamation, meeting the hour minimums alone can be enough.
Can a Washington district hold remote learning instead of closing?: We found no state rule allowing a remote weather day to count, and the state's transportation and education guidance pages were partly blocked when we checked. Ask your district; the meter scores the chance that buildings close.
How often does Seattle actually get a snow day's worth of snow?: Sea-Tac records an inch or more on about 1.9 days a year and 3 inches or more on 0.6 days, so a 2-inch morning happens most winters but not every one. A wet snow that freezes overnight on the hills is the typical Seattle closure, and the meter's warm-air and ice terms are tuned for it.

Sources

RCW 28A.150.220, basic education program requirements (read 2026-10-10)
WAC 392-129-105, reasonable effort before a school-day waiver (read 2026-10-10)
WAC 392-129-125, waiver application contents (read 2026-10-10)
OSPI, 180-day school year waivers (read 2026-10-10)
OSPI, 180-day waivers legislative report 2024-25 (read 2026-10-10)
Washington State Board of Education, FAQ on instructional hours and snow days (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, Seattle-Tacoma, Spokane and Yakima (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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