Independence, Ohio, 1,058 students in 3 schools

Independence Local School District Snow Day Predictor

Q: How much snow does Independence get?

About 54.2 inches a winter at a NOAA weather station 3.7 miles away, averaged over 8 winters. Between December 1 and March 31 that brings 5.6 weekday mornings a year with 2 inches of new snow or more, and 1.6 with 4 inches or more.

Q: What was the biggest snow day near Independence?

12.3 inches on December 1, 2020, the largest single day at a NOAA weather station 3.7 miles away in 8 winters. The snowiest winter was 2017 to 2018, with 73.8 inches.

Q: Does Independence get more snow days than other Ohio districts?

Independence averages 1.6 weekday mornings a winter with 4 inches of new snow or more, more than 87 percent of the 582 Ohio districts with a station record.

Q: How does the Independence snow day predictor work?

It reads the National Weather Service forecast for Independence 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 Independence’s own big snow morning: 3.5 inches, the top tenth of snowy weekday mornings at a NOAA weather station 3.7 miles away.

The odds of a closing or a delay on the next three school mornings in Independence, measured against Independence's own big snow morning of 3.5 inches.

The next three school mornings

Will Independence close tomorrow?

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

Ten winters of school mornings

Independence’s snow record

54.2inches of snow a winter

5.6school mornings a winter with 2 in of new snow or more

1.6with 4 in or more

3.5 ina big snow morning in Independence: the top tenth of snowy school mornings

More 4 inch school mornings than 87% of the 582 Ohio districts with a station record.

4.4Nov

10.2Dec

17.3Jan

10.5Feb

7.7Mar

Average snowfall by month, inches

Biggest day 12.3 in on December 1, 2020
Snowiest winter 2017 to 2018, 73.8 in
6 in mornings 0.6 a winter
1 in mornings 11 a winter

Measured at a NOAA weather station 3.7 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 Ohio rule

How Ohio counts a lost day

Ohio requires hours, not days: 910 hours for full day kindergarten through grade 6, 1,001 hours for grades 7 to 12, 455 for half day kindergarten. Only hours that drop a school below the state minimum must be made up, by extending the school year.

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

Next door

Districts near Independence

District	Snow a winter	4 in mornings
Garfield Heights City School DistrictGarfield Heights	54.2 in	1.6
Maple Heights City School DistrictMaple Heights	54.2 in	1.6
Brecksville-Broadview Heights City School DistrictBrecksville	54.2 in	1.6
Bedford City School DistrictBedford	54.2 in	1.6
Parma City School DistrictParma	54.2 in	1.6
Brooklyn City School DistrictBrooklyn	47.4 in	2

The schools

3 schools

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

High

Independence High School

Middle

Independence Middle School

Elementary

Independence Primary School

Questions

Independence snow day questions

How much snow does Independence get?

What was the biggest snow day near Independence?

Does Independence get more snow days than other Ohio districts?

How does the Independence snow day predictor work?

How does Ohio handle snow days?

More winter

More for Ohio 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.Ohio winter forecastThe season ahead for Ohio: 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.