Dannemora, New York, 1,567 students in 4 schools

Saranac Central School District Snow Day Predictor

Q: How much snow does Dannemora get?

About 76.3 inches a winter at a NOAA weather station 16.7 miles away, averaged over 7 winters. Between December 1 and March 31 that brings 5.1 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 Saranac?

23.4 inches on March 15, 2017, the largest single day at a NOAA weather station 16.7 miles away in 7 winters. The snowiest winter was 2016 to 2017, with 99.3 inches.

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

Saranac 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 Saranac snow day predictor work?

It reads the National Weather Service forecast for Dannemora 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 Saranac’s own big snow morning: 5.1 inches, the top tenth of snowy weekday mornings at a NOAA weather station 16.7 miles away.

The odds of a closing or a delay on the next three school mornings in Saranac, measured against Saranac's own big snow morning of 5.1 inches.

The next three school mornings

Will Saranac close tomorrow?

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

Ten winters of school mornings

Saranac’s snow record

76.3inches of snow a winter

5.1school mornings a winter with 2 in of new snow or more

3.1with 4 in or more

5.1 ina big snow morning in Saranac: the top tenth of snowy school mornings

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

6.9Nov

13.7Dec

18.5Jan

20Feb

13.1Mar

Average snowfall by month, inches

Biggest day 23.4 in on March 15, 2017
Snowiest winter 2016 to 2017, 99.3 in
6 in mornings 2 a winter
1 in mornings 11.7 a winter

Measured at a NOAA weather station 16.7 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 Saranac

District	Snow a winter	4 in mornings
Beekmantown Central School DistrictWest Chazy	76.3 in	3.1
Peru Central School DistrictPeru	76.3 in	3.1
Plattsburgh City School DistrictPlattsburgh	76.3 in	3.1
AuSable Valley Central School DistrictClintonville	76.3 in	3.1
Northeastern Clinton Central School DistrictChamplain	60.7 in	2
Malone Central School DistrictMalone	95.9 in	4

The schools

4 schools

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

High

Saranac High School, Saranac

Middle

Saranac Middle School, Saranac

Elementary

Morrisonville Elementary School, Morrisonville
Saranac Elementary School, Saranac

Questions

Saranac snow day questions

How much snow does Dannemora get?

What was the biggest snow day near Saranac?

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

How does the Saranac 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.