Farwell, Michigan, 1,011 students in 4 schools

Farwell Area Schools Snow Day Predictor

Q: How much snow does Farwell get?

About 44.8 inches a winter at a NOAA weather station 20.9 miles away, averaged over 10 winters. Between December 1 and March 31 that brings 5.3 weekday mornings a year with 2 inches of new snow or more, and 2.2 with 4 inches or more.

Q: What was the biggest snow day near Farwell?

10 inches on January 29, 2019, the largest single day at a NOAA weather station 20.9 miles away in 10 winters. The snowiest winter was 2018 to 2019, with 72.9 inches.

Q: Does Farwell get more snow days than other Michigan districts?

Farwell averages 2.2 weekday mornings a winter with 4 inches of new snow or more, more than 70 percent of the 515 Michigan districts with a station record.

Q: How does the Farwell snow day predictor work?

It reads the National Weather Service forecast for Farwell 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 Farwell’s own big snow morning: 4 inches, the top tenth of snowy weekday mornings at a NOAA weather station 20.9 miles away.

The odds of a closing or a delay on the next three school mornings in Farwell, measured against Farwell's own big snow morning of 4 inches.

The next three school mornings

Will Farwell close tomorrow?

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

Ten winters of school mornings

Farwell’s snow record

44.8inches of snow a winter

5.3school mornings a winter with 2 in of new snow or more

2.2with 4 in or more

4 ina big snow morning in Farwell: the top tenth of snowy school mornings

7.9school mornings a winter at 0 F or colder

More 4 inch school mornings than 70% of the 515 Michigan districts with a station record.

4.7Nov

10.3Dec

12.7Jan

11.6Feb

3.6Mar

Average snowfall by month, inches

Biggest day 10 in on January 29, 2019
Snowiest winter 2018 to 2019, 72.9 in
6 in mornings 0.5 a winter
1 in mornings 8.6 a winter

Measured at a NOAA weather station 20.9 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 Michigan rule

How Michigan counts a lost day

Michigan requires at least 180 days and 1,098 hours of pupil instruction. The first 6 days (or the same hours) lost to conditions outside the district's control, such as severe storms, are counted as instruction; up to 3 more can be approved by the State Superintendent.

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

Next door

Districts near Farwell

District	Snow a winter	4 in mornings
Clare Public SchoolsClare	44.8 in	2.2
Harrison Community SchoolsHarrison	44.8 in	2.2
Mount Pleasant City School DistrictMount Pleasant	38.4 in	1.4
Chippewa Hills School DistrictRemus	47.2 in	1.8
Gladwin Community SchoolsGladwin	44.8 in	2.2
Shepherd Public School DistrictShepherd	38.4 in	1.4

The schools

4 schools

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

High

Farwell High School
Farwell Timberland Alternative High School

Middle

Farwell Middle School

Elementary

Farwell Elementary School

Questions

Farwell snow day questions

How much snow does Farwell get?

What was the biggest snow day near Farwell?

Does Farwell get more snow days than other Michigan districts?

How does the Farwell snow day predictor work?

How does Michigan handle snow days?

More winter

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