Rochester, New York, 4,680 students in 6 schools

Penfield Central School District Snow Day Predictor

Q: How much snow does Rochester get?

About 78.3 inches a winter at a NOAA weather station 8.1 miles away, averaged over 10 winters. Between December 1 and March 31 that brings 8.1 weekday mornings a year with 2 inches of new snow or more, and 3.2 with 4 inches or more.

Q: What was the biggest snow day near Penfield?

14.3 inches on January 13, 2018, the largest single day at a NOAA weather station 8.1 miles away in 10 winters. The snowiest winter was 2017 to 2018, with 123.5 inches.

Q: Does Penfield get more snow days than other New York districts?

Penfield averages 3.2 weekday mornings a winter with 4 inches of new snow or more, more than 68 percent of the 676 New York districts with a station record.

Q: How does the Penfield snow day predictor work?

It reads the National Weather Service forecast for Rochester 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 Penfield’s own big snow morning: 3.6 inches, the top tenth of snowy weekday mornings at a NOAA weather station 8.1 miles away.

The odds of a closing or a delay on the next three school mornings in Penfield, measured against Penfield's own big snow morning of 3.6 inches.

The next three school mornings

Will Penfield close tomorrow?

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

Ten winters of school mornings

Penfield’s snow record

78.3inches of snow a winter

8.1school mornings a winter with 2 in of new snow or more

3.2with 4 in or more

3.6 ina big snow morning in Penfield: the top tenth of snowy school mornings

1.3school mornings a winter at 0 F or colder

More 4 inch school mornings than 68% of the 676 New York districts with a station record.

6.3Nov

15.6Dec

22.8Jan

22.2Feb

9.4Mar

Average snowfall by month, inches

Biggest day 14.3 in on January 13, 2018
Snowiest winter 2017 to 2018, 123.5 in
6 in mornings 1.4 a winter
1 in mornings 15.2 a winter

Measured at a NOAA weather station 8.1 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 New York rule

How New York counts a lost day

New York requires 180 days of session plus 900 hours a year for kindergarten to grade 6 and 990 hours for grades 7 to 12. The Commissioner can excuse up to 5 days closed for extraordinary weather, but only if the district cannot make them up by using all its scheduled vacation days before the June Regents exams.

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

Next door

Districts near Penfield

District	Snow a winter	4 in mornings
East Irondequoit Central School DistrictRochester	87.9 in	2.8
Brighton Central School DistrictRochester	87.9 in	2.8
Fairport Central School DistrictFairport	62.7 in	1.1
Webster Central School DistrictWebster	78.3 in	3.2
Rochester City School DistrictRochester	87.9 in	2.8
West Irondequoit Central School DistrictRochester	87.9 in	2.8

The schools

6 schools

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

High

Penfield Senior High School, Penfield

Middle

Bay Trail Middle School, Penfield

Elementary

Scribner Road Elementary School, Penfield
Cobbles Elementary School, Penfield
Indian Landing Elementary School
Harris Hill Elementary School, Penfield

Questions

Penfield snow day questions

How much snow does Rochester get?

What was the biggest snow day near Penfield?

Does Penfield get more snow days than other New York districts?

How does the Penfield snow day predictor work?

How does New York handle snow days?

More winter

More for New York 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.New York winter forecastThe season ahead for New York: 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.