Ralston, Nebraska, 3,409 students in 8 schools

Ralston Public Schools Snow Day Predictor

Q: How much snow does Ralston get?

About 22.8 inches a winter at a NOAA weather station 2.3 miles away, averaged over 10 winters. Between December 1 and March 31 that brings 2.2 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 Ralston?

13.1 inches on January 26, 2021, the largest single day at a NOAA weather station 2.3 miles away in 10 winters. The snowiest winter was 2018 to 2019, with 59.8 inches.

Q: How does the Ralston snow day predictor work?

It reads the National Weather Service forecast for Ralston 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 Ralston’s own big snow morning: 3.5 inches, the top tenth of snowy weekday mornings at a NOAA weather station 2.3 miles away.

Q: How far ahead does the Ralston 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 Ralston, measured against Ralston's own big snow morning of 3.5 inches.

The next three school mornings

Will Ralston close tomorrow?

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

Ten winters of school mornings

Ralston’s snow record

22.8inches of snow a winter

2.2school mornings a winter with 2 in of new snow or more

1with 4 in or more

3.5 ina big snow morning in Ralston: the top tenth of snowy school mornings

1.2Nov

3.1Dec

6.1Jan

7.8Feb

2.9Mar

Average snowfall by month, inches

Biggest day 13.1 in on January 26, 2021
Snowiest winter 2018 to 2019, 59.8 in
6 in mornings 0.2 a winter
1 in mornings 3.9 a winter

Measured at a NOAA weather station 2.3 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 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 Ralston

District	Snow a winter	4 in mornings	Built in days
Papillion-La Vista Community SchoolsPapillion	22.8 in	1	6
Westside Community SchoolsOmaha	22.8 in	1
Millard Public SchoolsOmaha	22.8 in	1
Omaha Public SchoolsOmaha	23.1 in	0.9
Bellevue Public SchoolsBellevue	17.1 in	0.8
Elkhorn Public SchoolsElkhorn	19.6 in	1

The schools

8 schools

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

High

Ralston High School

Middle

Ralston Middle School

Elementary

Mockingbird Elementary School, Omaha
Blumfield Elementary School, Omaha
Meadows Elementary School, Omaha
Wildewood Elementary School
Seymour Elementary School
Karen Western Elementary Sch, Omaha

Questions

Ralston snow day questions

How much snow does Ralston get?

What was the biggest snow day near Ralston?

How does the Ralston snow day predictor work?

How does Nebraska handle snow days?

How far ahead does the Ralston 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.