Bennington, Nebraska, 4,285 students in 8 schools

Bennington Public Schools Snow Day Predictor

Q: How much snow does Bennington get?

About 19.6 inches a winter at a NOAA weather station 2.7 miles away, averaged over 7 winters. Between December 1 and March 31 that brings 2 weekday mornings a year with 2 inches of new snow or more, and 1 with 4 inches or more.

Q: What was the biggest snow day near Bennington?

11 inches on January 26, 2021, the largest single day at a NOAA weather station 2.7 miles away in 7 winters. The snowiest winter was 2020 to 2021, with 32.6 inches.

Q: How does the Bennington snow day predictor work?

It reads the National Weather Service forecast for Bennington 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 Bennington’s own big snow morning: 5.2 inches, the top tenth of snowy weekday mornings at a NOAA weather station 2.7 miles away.

Q: How far ahead does the Bennington snow day predictor look?

Three school mornings, as far as the National Weather Service hourly forecast reaches. Weekends and breaks are skipped, so a Friday storm is read for Monday’s buses.

The odds of a closing or a delay on the next three school mornings in Bennington, measured against Bennington's own big snow morning of 5.2 inches.

The next three school mornings

Will Bennington close tomorrow?

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

Ten winters of school mornings

Bennington’s snow record

19.6inches of snow a winter

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

1with 4 in or more

5.2 ina big snow morning in Bennington: the top tenth of snowy school mornings

1Nov

2.4Dec

6.2Jan

4.7Feb

3.8Mar

Average snowfall by month, inches

Biggest day 11 in on January 26, 2021
Snowiest winter 2020 to 2021, 32.6 in
6 in mornings 0.6 a winter
1 in mornings 3.4 a winter

Measured at a NOAA weather station 2.7 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 Nebraska rule

How Nebraska counts a lost day

Nebraska requires at least 1,032 instructional hours for elementary grades and 1,080 for high school. At the State Board's discretion, a district that closed for severe storms or epidemic sickness keeps its accreditation and state aid, after the board secretary files a sworn statement if fewer hours will be offered.

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

Next door

Districts near Bennington

District	Snow a winter	4 in mornings	Built in days
Elkhorn Public SchoolsElkhorn	19.6 in	1
Westside Community SchoolsOmaha	22.8 in	1
Millard Public SchoolsOmaha	22.8 in	1
Omaha Public SchoolsOmaha	23.1 in	0.9
Ralston Public SchoolsRalston	22.8 in	1
Papillion-La Vista Community SchoolsPapillion	22.8 in	1	6

The schools

8 schools

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

High

Bennington High School

Middle

Bennington South Middle School
Bennington Middle School

Elementary

Pine Creek Elementary
Anchor Pointe Elementary
Heritage Elementary
Bennington Elementary School
Stratford Elementary School

Questions

Bennington snow day questions

How much snow does Bennington get?

What was the biggest snow day near Bennington?

How does the Bennington snow day predictor work?

How does Nebraska handle snow days?

How far ahead does the Bennington snow day predictor look?

More winter

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