North Branch, Minnesota, 2,744 students in 7 schools

North Branch Public Schools Snow Day Predictor

Q: How much snow does North Branch get?

About 41.1 inches a winter at a NOAA weather station 8.2 miles away, averaged over 8 winters. Between December 1 and March 31 that brings 3.6 weekday mornings a year with 2 inches of new snow or more, and 1.8 with 4 inches or more.

Q: What was the biggest snow day near North Branch?

7.5 inches on February 21, 2019, the largest single day at a NOAA weather station 8.2 miles away in 8 winters. The snowiest winter was 2017 to 2018, with 61.3 inches.

Q: How does the North Branch snow day predictor work?

It reads the National Weather Service forecast for North Branch 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 North Branch’s own big snow morning: 4.4 inches, the top tenth of snowy weekday mornings at a NOAA weather station 8.2 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 North Branch, measured against North Branch's own big snow morning of 4.4 inches.

The next three school mornings

Will North Branch close tomorrow?

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

Ten winters of school mornings

North Branch’s snow record

41.1inches of snow a winter

3.6school mornings a winter with 2 in of new snow or more

1.8with 4 in or more

4.4 ina big snow morning in North Branch: the top tenth of snowy school mornings

4.2Nov

8.2Dec

5.1Jan

9.9Feb

8.9Mar

Average snowfall by month, inches

Biggest day 7.5 in on February 21, 2019
Snowiest winter 2017 to 2018, 61.3 in
6 in mornings 0.5 a winter
1 in mornings 8 a winter

Measured at a NOAA weather station 8.2 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 North Branch

District	Snow a winter	4 in mornings	Built in days
Chisago Lakes School DistrictChisago City	44.2 in	1.8
Cambridge-Isanti Public School DistrictCambridge	39 in	1.6	1
Forest Lake Public School DistrictForest Lake	44.2 in	1.8
Pine City Public School DistrictPine City	53.5 in	1.9
St. Francis Area SchoolsSaint Francis	49.9 in	2.1
Centennial Public School DistrictCircle Pines	33.8 in	1.7

The schools

7 schools

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

High

North Branch Area High School
Distance Learning Academy Secondary
Norse Area Learning Center

Middle

North Branch Area Middle School

Elementary

Sunrise River Elementary School
Distance Learning Acadmy Elementary

Other schools

North Branch Area Education Center

Questions

North Branch snow day questions

How much snow does North Branch get?

What was the biggest snow day near North Branch?

How does the North Branch 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.