Richmond, Michigan, 1,542 students in 3 schools

Richmond Community Schools Snow Day Predictor

Q: How much snow does Richmond get?

About 40.6 inches a winter at a NOAA weather station 5.1 miles away, averaged over 10 winters. Between December 1 and March 31 that brings 3.3 weekday mornings a year with 2 inches of new snow or more, and 1.6 with 4 inches or more.

Q: What was the biggest snow day near Richmond?

10.1 inches on December 12, 2016, the largest single day at a NOAA weather station 5.1 miles away in 10 winters. The snowiest winter was 2017 to 2018, with 56.5 inches.

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

Richmond averages 1.6 weekday mornings a winter with 4 inches of new snow or more, more than 53 percent of the 515 Michigan districts with a station record.

Q: How does the Richmond snow day predictor work?

It reads the National Weather Service forecast for Richmond 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 Richmond’s own big snow morning: 4 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 Richmond, measured against Richmond's own big snow morning of 4 inches.

The next three school mornings

Will Richmond close tomorrow?

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

Ten winters of school mornings

Richmond’s snow record

40.6inches of snow a winter

3.3school mornings a winter with 2 in of new snow or more

1.6with 4 in or more

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

4.8school mornings a winter at 0 F or colder

More 4 inch school mornings than 53% of the 515 Michigan districts with a station record.

4.7Nov

7.5Dec

11.3Jan

11.6Feb

4.2Mar

Average snowfall by month, inches

Biggest day 10.1 in on December 12, 2016
Snowiest winter 2017 to 2018, 56.5 in
6 in mornings 0.7 a winter
1 in mornings 7.9 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 Richmond

District	Snow a winter	4 in mornings
Anchor Bay School DistrictCasco	30.8 in	1.3
New Haven Community SchoolsNew Haven	30.8 in	1.3
Armada Area SchoolsArmada	40.6 in	1.6
Romeo Community SchoolsRomeo	40.6 in	1.6
East China School DistrictEast China	21.9 in	1
L'Anse Creuse Public SchoolsClinton Township	28 in	0.7

The schools

3 schools

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

High

Richmond Community High School

Middle

Richmond Middle School

Elementary

Will L Lee School

Questions

Richmond snow day questions

How much snow does Richmond get?

What was the biggest snow day near Richmond?

Does Richmond get more snow days than other Michigan districts?

How does the Richmond 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.