Port Washington, New York, 5,384 students in 7 schools

Port Washington Union Free School District Snow Day Predictor

Q: How much snow does Port Washington get?

About 12 inches a winter at a NOAA weather station 10 miles away, averaged over 7 winters. Between December 1 and March 31 that brings 1.3 weekday mornings a year with 2 inches of new snow or more, and 0.7 with 4 inches or more.

Q: What was the biggest snow day near Port Washington?

7.5 inches on January 5, 2018, the largest single day at a NOAA weather station 10 miles away in 7 winters. The snowiest winter was 2017 to 2018, with 18.8 inches.

Q: How does the Port Washington snow day predictor work?

It reads the National Weather Service forecast for Port Washington 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 Port Washington’s own big snow morning: 5.6 inches, the top tenth of snowy weekday mornings at a NOAA weather station 10 miles away.

Q: Can New York schools hold a remote day instead?

A district that would otherwise close for a storm may stay in session remotely under its emergency remote instruction plan, and that day counts toward the 180 days and the hours; districts are not required to do it.

The odds of a closing or a delay on the next three school mornings in Port Washington, measured against Port Washington's own big snow morning of 5.6 inches.

The next three school mornings

Will Port Washington close tomorrow?

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

Ten winters of school mornings

Port Washington’s snow record

12inches of snow a winter

1.3school mornings a winter with 2 in of new snow or more

0.7with 4 in or more

5.6 ina big snow morning in Port Washington: the top tenth of snowy school mornings

0.3Nov

2.1Dec

4.9Jan

3.9Feb

0.9Mar

Average snowfall by month, inches

Biggest day 7.5 in on January 5, 2018
Snowiest winter 2017 to 2018, 18.8 in
6 in mornings 0.4 a winter
1 in mornings 2.4 a winter

Measured at a NOAA weather station 10 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 Port Washington

District	Snow a winter	4 in mornings	Built in days
North Shore Central School DistrictSea Cliff	12 in	0.7
Manhasset Union Free School DistrictManhasset	23 in	0.9
Roslyn Union Free School DistrictRoslyn	12 in	0.7
Glen Cove City School DistrictGlen Cove	12 in	0.7
Great Neck Union Free School DistrictGreat Neck	21.3 in	0.9	2
Herricks Union Free School DistrictNew Hyde Park	12 in	0.7

The schools

7 schools

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

High

Paul D Schreiber Senior High School

Middle

Carrie Palmer Weber Middle School

Elementary

John Philip Sousa Elementary School
John J Daly Elementary School
Manorhaven Elementary School
Guggenheim Elementary School
South Salem Elementary School

Questions

Port Washington snow day questions

How much snow does Port Washington get?

What was the biggest snow day near Port Washington?

How does the Port Washington snow day predictor work?

How does New York handle snow days?

Can New York schools hold a remote day instead?

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.