Snow days in Pennsylvania
Since the 2023-24 school year, Pennsylvania schools can meet either 180 days or the hours equivalent, which can leave more room for closures (PA Department of Education). Districts can also use flexible instructional days instead of some snow days (CBS News Pittsburgh). The calculator treats Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania schools
- Ice and heavy snow. NWS Pittsburgh issues a Winter Storm Warning for 6 inches or more of snow or a quarter inch or more of freezing rain (NWS Pittsburgh). A warning like that adds weight in the calculator because it is issued for your forecast zone.
How many snow days do Pennsylvania schools get?
Act 56 of 2023 lets schools meet either 180 days or 900 hours for full-day kindergarten to grade 6 and 990 hours for grades 7 to 12 (PA Department of Education). Districts can also use up to five flexible instructional days a year with an approved plan, in place of a traditional snow day (CBS News Pittsburgh).
How the calculator treats Pennsylvania
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 Pennsylvania, 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.
Pennsylvania uses one level from Philadelphia to Erie. The forecast inputs are local, but the thresholds are not.
Pennsylvania cities
- Pittsburgh: 44 inches of snow in a normal year, how Pittsburgh Public Schools decides by 5:30 am, and when it switches from snow days to remote days.
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
What is a flexible instructional day in Pennsylvania?
A day of instruction from home that a district can use instead of a snow day. Districts can use up to five a year with a plan approved by the state (CBS News Pittsburgh).
Do Pennsylvania schools have to make up snow days?
Only to stay above 180 days or the hours equivalent (900 for full-day kindergarten to grade 6, 990 for grades 7 to 12) under Act 56 of 2023 (PA Department of Education).
Will school be closed tomorrow in Pennsylvania?
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.