Waseca, Minnesota, 1,735 students in 7 schools

Waseca Public School District Snow Day Predictor

Q: How much snow does Waseca get?

About 45.8 inches a winter at a NOAA weather station 1.3 miles away, averaged over 10 winters. Between December 1 and March 31 that brings 4.4 weekday mornings a year with 2 inches of new snow or more, and 2.2 with 4 inches or more.

Q: What was the biggest snow day near Waseca?

9.5 inches on January 23, 2018, the largest single day at a NOAA weather station 1.3 miles away in 10 winters. The snowiest winter was 2017 to 2018, with 73.8 inches.

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

Waseca averages 2.2 weekday mornings a winter with 4 inches of new snow or more, more than 68 percent of the 322 Minnesota districts with a station record.

Q: How does the Waseca snow day predictor work?

It reads the National Weather Service forecast for Waseca 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 Waseca’s own big snow morning: 4.1 inches, the top tenth of snowy weekday mornings at a NOAA weather station 1.3 miles away.

The odds of a closing or a delay on the next three school mornings in Waseca, measured against Waseca's own big snow morning of 4.1 inches.

The next three school mornings

Will Waseca close tomorrow?

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

Ten winters of school mornings

Waseca’s snow record

45.8inches of snow a winter

4.4school mornings a winter with 2 in of new snow or more

2.2with 4 in or more

4.1 ina big snow morning in Waseca: the top tenth of snowy school mornings

20.6school mornings a winter at 0 F or colder

More 4 inch school mornings than 68% of the 322 Minnesota districts with a station record.

3.9Nov

8.7Dec

10.3Jan

10.1Feb

7.5Mar

Average snowfall by month, inches

Biggest day 9.5 in on January 23, 2018
Snowiest winter 2017 to 2018, 73.8 in
6 in mornings 0.4 a winter
1 in mornings 7.9 a winter

Measured at a NOAA weather station 1.3 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 Waseca

District	Snow a winter	4 in mornings
Owatonna Public School DistrictOwatonna	44.2 in	2.3
Faribault Public School DistrictFaribault	39.8 in	1.7
Tri-City United School DistrictMontgomery	44.4 in	1.9
Mankato Public School DistrictMankato	39.8 in	2.1
St. Peter Public School DistrictSaint Peter	39.8 in	2.1
Albert Lea Public School DistrictAlbert Lea	42.1 in	1.3

The schools

7 schools

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

High

Waseca Senior High
Waseca Area Learning Center

Middle

Waseca Intermediate School
Waseca Junior High
Waseca Middle Level Alc

Elementary

Hartley Elementary

Other schools

Waseca Early Childhood

Questions

Waseca snow day questions

How much snow does Waseca get?

What was the biggest snow day near Waseca?

Does Waseca get more snow days than other Minnesota districts?

How does the Waseca 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.