Johnston, Iowa, 7,480 students in 8 schools

Johnston Community School District Snow Day Predictor

Q: How much snow does Johnston get?

About 30.8 inches a winter at a NOAA weather station 4.5 miles away, averaged over 9 winters. Between December 1 and March 31 that brings 3.2 weekday mornings a year with 2 inches of new snow or more, and 1.4 with 4 inches or more.

Q: What was the biggest snow day near Johnston?

12.9 inches on January 15, 2022, the largest single day at a NOAA weather station 4.5 miles away in 9 winters. The snowiest winter was 2020 to 2021, with 57.9 inches.

Q: Does Johnston get more snow days than other Iowa districts?

Johnston averages 1.4 weekday mornings a winter with 4 inches of new snow or more, more than 71 percent of the 323 Iowa districts with a station record.

Q: How does the Johnston snow day predictor work?

It reads the National Weather Service forecast for Johnston through the night and the 5 to 8 am bus run, adds winter alerts and the Winter Storm Severity Index, and measures the snow against Johnston’s own big snow morning: 4.3 inches, the top tenth of snowy weekday mornings at a NOAA weather station 4.5 miles away.

The odds of a closing or a delay on the next three school mornings in Johnston, measured against Johnston's own big snow morning of 4.3 inches.

The next three school mornings

Will Johnston close tomorrow?

Reading the National Weather Service forecast for the overnight and the bus hours in Johnston.

Ten winters of school mornings

Johnston’s snow record

30.8inches of snow a winter

3.2school mornings a winter with 2 in of new snow or more

1.4with 4 in or more

4.3 ina big snow morning in Johnston: the top tenth of snowy school mornings

More 4 inch school mornings than 71% of the 323 Iowa districts with a station record.

1.2Nov

4.4Dec

11.2Jan

8.3Feb

3.4Mar

Average snowfall by month, inches

Biggest day 12.9 in on January 15, 2022
Snowiest winter 2020 to 2021, 57.9 in
6 in mornings 0.7 a winter
1 in mornings 4.8 a winter

Measured at a NOAA weather station 4.5 miles away. Mornings are the 7 am snow reading on a weekday from December 1 through March 31, over the ten winters from 2016 to 2017 through 2025 to 2026, from NOAA GHCN Daily.

The Iowa rule

How Iowa counts a lost day

Iowa requires at least 180 days or 1,080 hours of instruction, as the board chooses. When a board extends the calendar to make up weather closures, it may excuse seniors who have already met graduation requirements.

The Iowa rules in the agency’s own words, and every Iowa district

Next door

Districts near Johnston

District	Snow a winter	4 in mornings	Built in days
Urbandale Community School DistrictUrbandale	27.8 in	0.9
Dallas Center-Grimes Community School DistrictGrimes	30.8 in	1.4
Ankeny Community School DistrictAnkeny	29.6 in	1
West Des Moines Community School DistrictWest Des Moines	27.8 in	0.9
Des Moines Independent Community School DistrictDes Moines	32.2 in	1.6	3
Waukee Community School DistrictWaukee	27.8 in	0.9

The schools

8 schools

Every school in Johnston follows the district’s call: one closing covers them all.

High

Johnston Senior High School

Middle

Summit Middle School

Elementary

Henry A Wallace Elementary School
Horizon Elementary
Timber Ridge Elementary
Lawson Elementary School
Beaver Creek Elementary School

Other schools

Johnston Middle School

Questions

Johnston snow day questions

How much snow does Johnston get?

What was the biggest snow day near Johnston?

Does Johnston get more snow days than other Iowa districts?

How does the Johnston snow day predictor work?

How does Iowa handle snow days?

More winter

More for Iowa snow days

Snow day predictorClosing and delay odds for any ZIP, with the snowiest districts in the country.Snow depth mapHow much snow is on the ground right now, measured, across the country.First snow datesWhen the first measurable snow usually lands where you live.Frozen pipesThe nights cold enough to freeze a pipe, and what to do before one.Snow plow trackerWhere the plows are during a storm, city by city.Iowa winter forecastThe season ahead for Iowa: snowfall, cold and the first snow.

A residential street under deep snow on a bright blue morning, cars parked along the curb buried into smooth white mounds, one set of tire tracks down the middle — The morning after a big one: cars buried to the mirrors and one set of tracks down the middle. A street like this is a closing, no debate. Photo, Fairfax, Virginia, January 2016: Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY 4.0

The odds are a forecast read, and the superintendent makes the call: the district’s own announcement is the one to follow.