Rensselaer, New York, 1,005 students in 2 schools

Rensselaer City School District Snow Day Predictor

Q: How much snow does Rensselaer get?

About 47.7 inches a winter at a NOAA weather station 4.6 miles away, averaged over 9 winters. Between December 1 and March 31 that brings 4.8 weekday mornings a year with 2 inches of new snow or more, and 3.1 with 4 inches or more.

Q: What was the biggest snow day near Rensselaer?

18.8 inches on December 17, 2020, the largest single day at a NOAA weather station 4.6 miles away in 9 winters. The snowiest winter was 2017 to 2018, with 67.4 inches.

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

Rensselaer averages 3.1 weekday mornings a winter with 4 inches of new snow or more, more than 64 percent of the 676 New York districts with a station record.

Q: How does the Rensselaer snow day predictor work?

It reads the National Weather Service forecast for Rensselaer 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 Rensselaer’s own big snow morning: 5.5 inches, the top tenth of snowy weekday mornings at a NOAA weather station 4.6 miles away.

The odds of a closing or a delay on the next three school mornings in Rensselaer, measured against Rensselaer's own big snow morning of 5.5 inches.

The next three school mornings

Will Rensselaer close tomorrow?

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

Ten winters of school mornings

Rensselaer’s snow record

47.7inches of snow a winter

4.8school mornings a winter with 2 in of new snow or more

3.1with 4 in or more

5.5 ina big snow morning in Rensselaer: the top tenth of snowy school mornings

More 4 inch school mornings than 64% of the 676 New York districts with a station record.

1.3Nov

12.5Dec

10.8Jan

10.8Feb

11.2Mar

Average snowfall by month, inches

Biggest day 18.8 in on December 17, 2020
Snowiest winter 2017 to 2018, 67.4 in
6 in mornings 1.4 a winter
1 in mornings 7.4 a winter

Measured at a NOAA weather station 4.6 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 Rensselaer

District	Snow a winter	4 in mornings	Built in days
Albany City School DistrictAlbany	47.7 in	3.1	3
East Greenbush Central School DistrictEast Greenbush	47.7 in	3.1
Troy City School DistrictTroy	35.2 in	2.7
North Colonie Central School DistrictLatham	52.3 in	2.2
Watervliet City School DistrictWatervliet	35.2 in	2.7
Bethlehem Central School DistrictDelmar	47.7 in	3.1

The schools

2 schools

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

High

Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School

Elementary

Van Rensselaer Elementary School

Questions

Rensselaer snow day questions

How much snow does Rensselaer get?

What was the biggest snow day near Rensselaer?

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

How does the Rensselaer 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.