Owatonna Public School District Snow Day Predictor

Q: Does Owatonna switch to remote learning on a snow day?

It can. Owatonna has eLearning days in its winter plan. When a closing gets likely, the morning here reads "Snow day or remote day".

Q: When is the last day of school for Owatonna?

June 4, 2027, on the district’s 2026 to 2027 calendar.

Q: How much snow does Owatonna get?

About 44.2 inches a winter at a NOAA weather station 1 mile away, averaged over 10 winters. Between December 1 and March 31 that brings 5.1 weekday mornings a year with 2 inches of new snow or more, and 2.3 with 4 inches or more.

Q: What was the biggest snow day near Owatonna?

14 inches on January 23, 2018, the largest single day at a NOAA weather station 1 mile away in 10 winters. The snowiest winter was 2018 to 2019, with 77.4 inches.

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

Owatonna averages 2.3 weekday mornings a winter with 4 inches of new snow or more, more than 73 percent of the 322 Minnesota districts with a station record.

Q: How does the Owatonna snow day predictor work?

It reads the National Weather Service forecast for Owatonna 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 Owatonna’s own big snow morning: 5.9 inches, the top tenth of snowy weekday mornings at a NOAA weather station 1 mile away.

The next three school mornings

Will Owatonna close tomorrow?

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

The Owatonna playbook

How Owatonna calls a snow day

How families hear

“The first two inclement weather/emergency days in the Owatonna Public Schools are considered non-attendance days for students.”

E-Learning - Owatonna Public Schools

eLearning days

Owatonna has eLearning days in its winter plan.

“The first two inclement weather/emergency days in the Owatonna Public Schools are considered non-attendance days for students. In the event OPS has more than two inclement weather/emergency days, students will follow the E-Learning Plan below.”

Source

The 2026 to 2027 calendar

First day August 31, 2026
Winter break Dec 24 to Jan 1
Last day June 4, 2027

District calendar

Read from Owatonna’s own pages on October 8, 2026; the district site is isd761.org.

Ten winters of school mornings

Owatonna’s snow record

44.2inches of snow a winter

5.1school mornings a winter with 2 in of new snow or more

2.3with 4 in or more

5.9 ina big snow morning in Owatonna: the top tenth of snowy school mornings

17.4school mornings a winter at 0 F or colder

More 4 inch school mornings than 73% of the 322 Minnesota districts with a station record.

3.2Nov

9.4Dec

9.7Jan

11.7Feb

5.8Mar

Average snowfall by month, inches

Biggest day 14 in on January 23, 2018
Snowiest winter 2018 to 2019, 77.4 in
6 in mornings 1.2 a winter
1 in mornings 7.6 a winter

Measured at a NOAA weather station 1 mile 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 Owatonna

District	Snow a winter	4 in mornings
Faribault Public School DistrictFaribault	39.8 in	1.7
Waseca Public School DistrictWaseca	45.8 in	2.2
Kasson-Mantorville School DistrictKasson	50.3 in	1.6
Northfield Public School DistrictNorthfield	39.8 in	1.7
Byron Public School DistrictByron	45.1 in	1.9
Albert Lea Public School DistrictAlbert Lea	42.1 in	1.3

The schools

14 schools

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

High

Owatonna Senior High
Owatonna Alc 9-12
Owatonna Online 9-12
Owatonna Night School
Owatonna Summer School 9-12

Middle

Owatonna Middle School
Owatonna Online 7-8
Owatonna Summer School 6-8

Elementary

Lincoln Elementary
Wilson Elementary
Washington Elementary
McKinley Elementary
Owatonna Online K-6

Other schools

Owatonna Ecse

Questions

Owatonna snow day questions

Does Owatonna switch to remote learning on a snow day?

When is the last day of school for Owatonna?

How much snow does Owatonna get?

What was the biggest snow day near Owatonna?

Does Owatonna get more snow days than other Minnesota districts?

How does the Owatonna 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.