West Hempstead, New York, 1,617 students in 4 schools

West Hempstead Union Free School District Snow Day Predictor

Q: How much snow does West Hempstead get?

About 21.3 inches a winter at a NOAA weather station 7.1 miles away, averaged over 10 winters. Between December 1 and March 31 that brings 1.5 weekday mornings a year with 2 inches of new snow or more, and 0.9 with 4 inches or more.

Q: What was the biggest snow day near West Hempstead?

13.6 inches on February 23, 2026, the largest single day at a NOAA weather station 7.1 miles away in 10 winters. The snowiest winter was 2025 to 2026, with 45.4 inches.

Q: How does the West Hempstead snow day predictor work?

It reads the National Weather Service forecast for West Hempstead 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 West Hempstead’s own big snow morning: 4.6 inches, the top tenth of snowy weekday mornings at a NOAA weather station 7.1 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 West Hempstead, measured against West Hempstead's own big snow morning of 4.6 inches.

The next three school mornings

Will West Hempstead close tomorrow?

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

Ten winters of school mornings

West Hempstead’s snow record

21.3inches of snow a winter

1.5school mornings a winter with 2 in of new snow or more

0.9with 4 in or more

4.6 ina big snow morning in West Hempstead: the top tenth of snowy school mornings

0school mornings a winter at 0 F or colder

0.5Nov

3.1Dec

6.1Jan

8.6Feb

2.7Mar

Average snowfall by month, inches

Biggest day 13.6 in on February 23, 2026
Snowiest winter 2025 to 2026, 45.4 in
6 in mornings 0.6 a winter
1 in mornings 2.8 a winter

Measured at a NOAA weather station 7.1 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 West Hempstead

District	Snow a winter	4 in mornings
Franklin Square Union Free School DistrictFranklin Square	21.3 in	0.9
Hempstead Union Free School DistrictHempstead	13.8 in	1
Malverne Union Free School DistrictMalverne	21.3 in	0.9
Garden City Union Free School DistrictGarden City	13.8 in	1
Valley Stream Union Free School District 13Valley Stream	21.3 in	0.9
Sewanhaka Central High School DistrictFloral Park	21.3 in	0.9

The schools

4 schools

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

High

West Hempstead Secondary School

Middle

George Washington School

Elementary

Cornwell Avenue School
Chestnut Street School

Questions

West Hempstead snow day questions

How much snow does West Hempstead get?

What was the biggest snow day near West Hempstead?

How does the West Hempstead 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.