Snow days in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Public Schools uses two traditional snow days, then switches to remote learning days, and aims to decide by 5:30 am. Enter a school's ZIP code below to see the chance of a closure or late start from the latest National Weather Service forecast. The number is an estimate; the district makes the call.
By Muhammad Shakeel. Updated 3 November 2026 for the 2026-27 school year. District plans change; check the district's own page.
Snow in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh averages 44.1 inches of snow a season (1991-2020, NWS Pittsburgh). Freezing rain is also a risk: NWS Pittsburgh issues a Winter Storm Warning for a quarter inch or more of ice (NWS Pittsburgh).
How Pittsburgh schools announce closures
Pittsburgh Public Schools aims to decide on a delay or closure by 5:30 am; the superintendent makes the call, and no announcement means school is open. Its published protocol treats the first two weather cancellations as traditional snow days and later ones as remote teaching and learning days. Decisions are posted on its website and Facebook and shared with KDKA, WPXI and WTAE (Pittsburgh Public Schools).
Reading the estimate in Pittsburgh
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.
After the first two snow days, a high snow day number in Pittsburgh is more likely to mean a remote day than a day off. The superintendent has also said the choice between a delay, a remote day and a closure depends on the storm (CBS News Pittsburgh).
Questions and answers
When does Pittsburgh Public Schools announce delays?
It aims to decide by 5:30 am. If there is no announcement, school is open (PPS).
Does Pittsburgh Public Schools use remote days for snow?
Yes. Its protocol uses two traditional snow days, then remote teaching and learning days (PPS).
Is the Pittsburgh snow day estimate an official closure notice?
No. It is an estimate from the National Weather Service forecast. Only the school district can close schools, so check its announcement before changing your plans. How accurate the estimate is.
More about snow days in Pennsylvania. For what closes schools anywhere, read how much snow it takes and how cold it has to be.