Houghton Lake, Michigan, 1,163 students in 3 schools

Houghton Lake Community School District Snow Day Predictor

Q: How much snow does Houghton Lake get?

About 60.8 inches a winter at a NOAA weather station 5.1 miles away, averaged over 10 winters. Between December 1 and March 31 that brings 5.6 weekday mornings a year with 2 inches of new snow or more, and 1.9 with 4 inches or more.

Q: What was the biggest snow day near Houghton Lake?

9.2 inches on January 28, 2019, the largest single day at a NOAA weather station 5.1 miles away in 10 winters. The snowiest winter was 2024 to 2025, with 80.8 inches.

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

Houghton Lake averages 1.9 weekday mornings a winter with 4 inches of new snow or more, more than 64 percent of the 515 Michigan districts with a station record.

Q: How does the Houghton Lake snow day predictor work?

It reads the National Weather Service forecast for Houghton Lake 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 Houghton Lake’s own big snow morning: 3.3 inches, the top tenth of snowy weekday mornings at a NOAA weather station 5.1 miles away.

The odds of a closing or a delay on the next three school mornings in Houghton Lake, measured against Houghton Lake's own big snow morning of 3.3 inches.

The next three school mornings

Will Houghton Lake close tomorrow?

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

Ten winters of school mornings

Houghton Lake’s snow record

60.8inches of snow a winter

5.6school mornings a winter with 2 in of new snow or more

1.9with 4 in or more

3.3 ina big snow morning in Houghton Lake: the top tenth of snowy school mornings

6.9school mornings a winter at 0 F or colder

More 4 inch school mornings than 64% of the 515 Michigan districts with a station record.

6.3Nov

16.6Dec

14.4Jan

13.1Feb

6.6Mar

Average snowfall by month, inches

Biggest day 9.2 in on January 28, 2019
Snowiest winter 2024 to 2025, 80.8 in
6 in mornings 0.3 a winter
1 in mornings 11.7 a winter

Measured at a NOAA weather station 5.1 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 Houghton Lake

District	Snow a winter	4 in mornings
Harrison Community SchoolsHarrison	44.8 in	2.2
Lake City Area School DistrictLake City	61.3 in	1.4
Gladwin Community SchoolsGladwin	44.8 in	2.2
McBain Rural Agricultural SchoolsMc Bain	76.2 in	3.1
Crawford AuSable SchoolsGrayling	81.2 in	3.8
West Branch-Rose City Area SchoolsWest Branch	50.6 in	1.7

The schools

3 schools

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

High

Houghton Lake JrSr High School
Houghton Lake Community Education

Elementary

Collins Elementary School

Questions

Houghton Lake snow day questions

How much snow does Houghton Lake get?

What was the biggest snow day near Houghton Lake?

Does Houghton Lake get more snow days than other Michigan districts?

How does the Houghton Lake 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.