Townsend, Massachusetts, 2,994 students in 7 schools

North Middlesex School District Snow Day Predictor

Q: How much snow does Townsend get?

About 52.8 inches a winter at a NOAA weather station 2.3 miles away, averaged over 7 winters. Between December 1 and March 31 that brings 6 weekday mornings a year with 2 inches of new snow or more, and 2.6 with 4 inches or more.

Q: What was the biggest snow day near North Middlesex?

12.6 inches on February 10, 2017, the largest single day at a NOAA weather station 2.3 miles away in 7 winters. The snowiest winter was 2016 to 2017, with 79.5 inches.

Q: Does North Middlesex get more snow days than other Massachusetts districts?

North Middlesex averages 2.6 weekday mornings a winter with 4 inches of new snow or more, more than 80 percent of the 291 Massachusetts districts with a station record.

Q: How does the North Middlesex snow day predictor work?

It reads the National Weather Service forecast for Townsend 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 North Middlesex’s own big snow morning: 5.9 inches, the top tenth of snowy weekday mornings at a NOAA weather station 2.3 miles away.

The odds of a closing or a delay on the next three school mornings in North Middlesex, measured against North Middlesex's own big snow morning of 5.9 inches.

The next three school mornings

Will North Middlesex close tomorrow?

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

Ten winters of school mornings

North Middlesex’s snow record

52.8inches of snow a winter

6school mornings a winter with 2 in of new snow or more

2.6with 4 in or more

5.9 ina big snow morning in North Middlesex: the top tenth of snowy school mornings

More 4 inch school mornings than 80% of the 291 Massachusetts districts with a station record.

1.8Nov

12.1Dec

10.5Jan

14.4Feb

11.8Mar

Average snowfall by month, inches

Biggest day 12.6 in on February 10, 2017
Snowiest winter 2016 to 2017, 79.5 in
6 in mornings 1.7 a winter
1 in mornings 9.1 a winter

Measured at a NOAA weather station 2.3 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 Massachusetts rule

How Massachusetts counts a lost day

Massachusetts requires a 185 day calendar, at least 180 days actually held, and 900 hours for elementary or 990 hours for secondary students. Every day lost through March 31 is made up with full rescheduled days; after March 31, days are made up until 180 or the scheduled 185th day, whichever comes first.

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

Next door

Districts near North Middlesex

District	Snow a winter	4 in mornings	Built in days
Lunenburg School DistrictLunenburg	71.5 in	4.2
Groton-Dunstable School DistrictGroton	40.5 in	2.1
Fitchburg School DistrictFitchburg	48.1 in	3
Ayer-Shirley School DistrictAyer	40.5 in	2.1
Leominster School DistrictLeominster	48.1 in	3	5
Ashburnham-Westminster School DistrictAshburnham	66.7 in	2.8

The schools

7 schools

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

High

North Middlesex Regional

Middle

Nissitissit Middle School, Pepperell
Hawthorne Brook

Elementary

Varnum Brook, Pepperell
Spaulding Memorial
Ashby Elementary, Ashby

Other schools

Squannacook Early Childhood Center

Questions

North Middlesex snow day questions

How much snow does Townsend get?

What was the biggest snow day near North Middlesex?

Does North Middlesex get more snow days than other Massachusetts districts?

How does the North Middlesex snow day predictor work?

How does Massachusetts handle snow days?

More winter

More for Massachusetts 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.Massachusetts winter forecastThe season ahead for Massachusetts: 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.