Howard Lake, Minnesota, 1,310 students in 7 schools

Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Snow Day Predictor

Q: How much snow does Howard Lake get?

About 34.4 inches a winter at a NOAA weather station 9.7 miles away, averaged over 10 winters. Between December 1 and March 31 that brings 3.4 weekday mornings a year with 2 inches of new snow or more, and 1.5 with 4 inches or more.

Q: What was the biggest snow day near Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted?

11.2 inches on April 15, 2018, the largest single day at a NOAA weather station 9.7 miles away in 10 winters. The snowiest winter was 2022 to 2023, with 65.1 inches.

Q: How does the Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted snow day predictor work?

It reads the National Weather Service forecast for Howard 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 Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted’s own big snow morning: 3.8 inches, the top tenth of snowy weekday mornings at a NOAA weather station 9.7 miles away.

Q: Can Minnesota schools hold a remote day instead?

A district or charter school with an adopted plan may hold up to five e-learning days a year for bad weather, and each one counts as a day of instruction.

The odds of a closing or a delay on the next three school mornings in Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted, measured against Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted's own big snow morning of 3.8 inches.

The next three school mornings

Will Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted close tomorrow?

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

Ten winters of school mornings

Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted’s snow record

34.4inches of snow a winter

3.4school mornings a winter with 2 in of new snow or more

1.5with 4 in or more

3.8 ina big snow morning in Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted: the top tenth of snowy school mornings

3.7Nov

8.3Dec

5.1Jan

7.7Feb

4.6Mar

Average snowfall by month, inches

Biggest day 11.2 in on April 15, 2018
Snowiest winter 2022 to 2023, 65.1 in
6 in mornings 0.1 a winter
1 in mornings 6 a winter

Measured at a NOAA weather station 9.7 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 Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted

District	Snow a winter	4 in mornings
Dassel-Cokato Public School DistrictCokato	45.6 in	1.3
Watertown-Mayer Public School DistrictWatertown	47.8 in	2.4
Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Public SchoolsBuffalo	30.9 in	2.5
Delano Public School DistrictDelano	30.9 in	2.5
Annandale Public School DistrictAnnandale	49 in	2.1
Rockford Public School DistrictRockford	30.9 in	2.5

The schools

7 schools

Every school in Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted follows the district’s call: one closing covers them all.

High

Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Sec.
Hlww Alternative Learning Program
ALP Credit Recovery

Middle

Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Middle

Elementary

Humphrey Elementary, Waverly
Winsted Elementary, Winsted

Other schools

Howard Lake Waverly Winsted Ecse, Winsted

Questions

Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted snow day questions

How much snow does Howard Lake get?

What was the biggest snow day near Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted?

How does the Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted snow day predictor work?

How does Minnesota handle snow days?

Can Minnesota schools hold a remote day instead?

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.