Snow days in Illinois
Illinois school calendars build in emergency days for closures, and a school board can adopt e-learning days to use in their place (105 ILCS 5/10-20.56). The calculator treats Illinois as a state that gets snow every winter.
By Muhammad Shakeel. Updated 3 November 2026 for the 2026-27 school year. School rules and district plans change; check your district.
Winter weather that closes Illinois schools
- Lake-effect snow near Lake Michigan. During a January 30 to 31, 2026 event, lake-effect bands produced snowfall rates of 3 or more inches an hour (NWS Chicago). A week earlier, lake enhancement gave parts of Cook County near the lake about 10 inches (NWS Chicago).
- Ice in central Illinois. The state's winter guide says the area from just south of Quincy through Lincoln to Watseka sees more freezing rain and ice storms than any other part of Illinois (Illinois Emergency Management Agency).
How many snow days do Illinois schools get?
Each board must set a calendar of at least 185 days to ensure 176 days of actual pupil attendance; the extra days cover emergency closures (105 ILCS 5/10-19). A school board may adopt e-learning days in place of emergency days, up to the number of emergency days in its approved calendar, and must give 30 days' notice of its plan before using one (105 ILCS 5/10-20.56).
How the calculator treats Illinois
The calculator reads the National Weather Service forecast for the exact point you enter, so the snow, ice, wind chill and alerts are local. What changes by state is how much of each it takes to raise the estimate:
Level 3 of 4: Snow every winter
For a suburban public school in Illinois, any one of these gives the model about an even chance of a closure on its own:
- 5 in of snow from 6 pm to 8 am (snow between 4 and 8 am counts extra)
- 0.1 in of ice from freezing rain, from the evening before to the end of the school day
- a wind chill of -20°F between midnight and 8 am
Places whose forecast grid point is above 1,800 m (about 5,900 ft) move up one level. These are model assumptions, not district rules. How the snow levels work.
Illinois uses one level from Chicago to Carbondale. The forecast inputs are local, so ice forecast in central Illinois counts, but the thresholds are the same statewide.
Illinois cities
- Chicago: 38 inches of snow in a normal year, lake-enhanced storms, how rarely Chicago Public Schools closes, and how to read our estimate.
Before you rely on the number
The percentage is an estimate from the weather forecast, not an official closure notice. It cannot see road conditions, staffing, buses or how many snow days your district has left, and it does not know a decision that has already been announced. Read how accurate the estimate is and what it leaves out.
Questions and answers
How many snow days do Illinois schools get?
There is no fixed number of snow days. Calendars include emergency days for closures, and boards can adopt e-learning days to use in their place (105 ILCS 5/10-19; 105 ILCS 5/10-20.56).
Can Illinois schools switch to e-learning on a snow day?
Yes, if the school board has adopted an e-learning program. E-learning days are used in place of emergency days, up to the number in the approved calendar (105 ILCS 5/10-20.56).
Will school be closed tomorrow in Illinois?
Only your district can say. The snow day calculator estimates the chance of a closure or late start from the National Weather Service forecast for your school's ZIP code, but it does not know announced decisions. Check your district's website, app or texts.
More: how much snow it takes to cancel school, how cold it has to be, and snow day rules in other states.