Utica, Ohio, 1,481 students in 5 schools

North Fork Local School District Snow Day Predictor

Q: How much snow does Utica get?

About 19.8 inches a winter at a NOAA weather station 8.4 miles away, averaged over 7 winters. Between December 1 and March 31 that brings 2.7 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 North Fork?

7.8 inches on December 25, 2020, the largest single day at a NOAA weather station 8.4 miles away in 7 winters. The snowiest winter was 2020 to 2021, with 33.6 inches.

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

North Fork averages 0.7 weekday mornings a winter with 4 inches of new snow or more, more than 50 percent of the 582 Ohio districts with a station record.

Q: How does the North Fork snow day predictor work?

It reads the National Weather Service forecast for Utica 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 North Fork’s own big snow morning: 3.3 inches, the top tenth of snowy weekday mornings at a NOAA weather station 8.4 miles away.

The odds of a closing or a delay on the next three school mornings in North Fork, measured against North Fork's own big snow morning of 3.3 inches.

The next three school mornings

Will North Fork close tomorrow?

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

Ten winters of school mornings

North Fork’s snow record

19.8inches of snow a winter

2.7school mornings a winter with 2 in of new snow or more

0.7with 4 in or more

3.3 ina big snow morning in North Fork: the top tenth of snowy school mornings

More 4 inch school mornings than 50% of the 582 Ohio districts with a station record.

0.6Nov

4.7Dec

7.6Jan

5.3Feb

1Mar

Average snowfall by month, inches

Biggest day 7.8 in on December 25, 2020
Snowiest winter 2020 to 2021, 33.6 in
6 in mornings 0.1 a winter
1 in mornings 4.7 a winter

Measured at a NOAA weather station 8.4 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 North Fork

District	Snow a winter	4 in mornings
Northridge Local School DistrictJohnstown	19.8 in	0.7
Mount Vernon City School DistrictMount Vernon	12.4 in	0.5
Newark City School DistrictNewark	11.9 in	0.8
Granville Exempted Village School DistrictGranville	19.8 in	0.7
Centerburg Local School DistrictCenterburg	12.4 in	0.5
Johnstown-Monroe Local School DistrictJohnstown	15.9 in	0.2

The schools

5 schools

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

High

Utica High School
North Fork Online Academy

Middle

Utica Middle School

Elementary

Utica Elementary School
Newton Elementary School, Newark

Questions

North Fork snow day questions

How much snow does Utica get?

What was the biggest snow day near North Fork?

Does North Fork get more snow days than other Ohio districts?

How does the North Fork 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.