Big Lake, Minnesota, 3,157 students in 6 schools

Big Lake Public School District Snow Day Predictor

Q: How much snow does Big Lake get?

About 49 inches a winter at a NOAA weather station 5.7 miles away, averaged over 10 winters. Between December 1 and March 31 that brings 5 weekday mornings a year with 2 inches of new snow or more, and 2 with 4 inches or more.

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

8.5 inches on February 23, 2023, the largest single day at a NOAA weather station 5.7 miles away in 10 winters. The snowiest winter was 2022 to 2023, with 90.8 inches.

Q: Does Big Lake get more snow days than other Minnesota districts?

Big Lake averages 2 weekday mornings a winter with 4 inches of new snow or more, more than 54 percent of the 322 Minnesota districts with a station record.

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

It reads the National Weather Service forecast for Big 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 Big Lake’s own big snow morning: 4 inches, the top tenth of snowy weekday mornings at a NOAA weather station 5.7 miles away.

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

The next three school mornings

Will Big Lake close tomorrow?

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

Ten winters of school mornings

Big Lake’s snow record

49inches of snow a winter

5school mornings a winter with 2 in of new snow or more

2with 4 in or more

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

More 4 inch school mornings than 54% of the 322 Minnesota districts with a station record.

5.5Nov

9.7Dec

7Jan

10.9Feb

9.5Mar

Average snowfall by month, inches

Biggest day 8.5 in on February 23, 2023
Snowiest winter 2022 to 2023, 90.8 in
6 in mornings 0.7 a winter
1 in mornings 8.6 a winter

Measured at a NOAA weather station 5.7 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 Minnesota rule

How Minnesota counts a lost day

Minnesota requires at least 165 days for grades 1 to 11, plus 935 hours for grades 1 to 6 and 1,020 hours for grades 7 to 12.

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

Next door

Districts near Big Lake

District	Snow a winter	4 in mornings	Built in days
Monticello Public School DistrictMonticello	49 in	2
Becker Public School DistrictBecker	49 in	2
Elk River School DistrictElk River	43.3 in	2.8
St. Michael-Albertville School DistrictAlbertville	43.3 in	2.8	3
Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Public SchoolsBuffalo	30.9 in	2.5
Rockford Public School DistrictRockford	30.9 in	2.5

The schools

6 schools

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

High

Big Lake Senior High
Big Lake Online 6-12

Middle

Big Lake Middle School

Elementary

Liberty Elementary
Independence Elementary
Big Lake Online K-5

Questions

Big Lake snow day questions

How much snow does Big Lake get?

What was the biggest snow day near Big Lake?

Does Big Lake get more snow days than other Minnesota districts?

How does the Big Lake snow day predictor work?

How does Minnesota handle snow days?

More winter

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