Scottsbluff, Nebraska, 3,445 students in 8 schools

Scottsbluff Public Schools Snow Day Predictor

Q: How much snow does Scottsbluff get?

About 42.5 inches a winter at a NOAA weather station 3.2 miles away, averaged over 10 winters. Between December 1 and March 31 that brings 3.3 weekday mornings a year with 2 inches of new snow or more, and 1.7 with 4 inches or more.

Q: What was the biggest snow day near Scottsbluff?

14.2 inches on February 23, 2017, the largest single day at a NOAA weather station 3.2 miles away in 10 winters. The snowiest winter was 2020 to 2021, with 70.2 inches.

Q: Does Scottsbluff get more snow days than other Nebraska districts?

Scottsbluff averages 1.7 weekday mornings a winter with 4 inches of new snow or more, more than 89 percent of the 235 Nebraska districts with a station record.

Q: How does the Scottsbluff snow day predictor work?

It reads the National Weather Service forecast for Scottsbluff 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 Scottsbluff’s own big snow morning: 4.7 inches, the top tenth of snowy weekday mornings at a NOAA weather station 3.2 miles away.

The odds of a closing or a delay on the next three school mornings in Scottsbluff, measured against Scottsbluff's own big snow morning of 4.7 inches.

The next three school mornings

Will Scottsbluff close tomorrow?

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

Ten winters of school mornings

Scottsbluff’s snow record

42.5inches of snow a winter

3.3school mornings a winter with 2 in of new snow or more

1.7with 4 in or more

4.7 ina big snow morning in Scottsbluff: the top tenth of snowy school mornings

7.9school mornings a winter at 0 F or colder

More 4 inch school mornings than 89% of the 235 Nebraska districts with a station record.

4.4Nov

5.8Dec

7.4Jan

9.5Feb

7.9Mar

Average snowfall by month, inches

Biggest day 14.2 in on February 23, 2017
Snowiest winter 2020 to 2021, 70.2 in
6 in mornings 0.8 a winter
1 in mornings 6.1 a winter

Measured at a NOAA weather station 3.2 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 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 Scottsbluff

District	Snow a winter	4 in mornings	Built in days
North Platte Public SchoolsNorth Platte	26.4 in	0.7
Lexington Public SchoolsLexington	18.8 in	1.7
Kearney Public SchoolsKearney	25.3 in	0.6
Grand Island Public SchoolsGrand Island	24.6 in	0.7	4
Norfolk Public SchoolsNorfolk	25 in	1.3
Columbus Public SchoolsColumbus	17.6 in	1

The schools

8 schools

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

High

Scottsbluff Senior High School

Middle

Bluffs Middle School

Elementary

Westmoor Elementary School
Longfellow Elementary School
Lincoln Heights Elementary Sch
Roosevelt Elementary School
Lake Minatare School, Minatare

Other schools

Early Childhood Learning Center

Questions

Scottsbluff snow day questions

How much snow does Scottsbluff get?

What was the biggest snow day near Scottsbluff?

Does Scottsbluff get more snow days than other Nebraska districts?

How does the Scottsbluff snow day predictor work?

How does Nebraska handle snow days?

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.