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Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 12,543 students in 19 schools

Central Dauphin School District Snow Day Predictor

The odds of a closing or a delay on the next three school mornings in Central Dauphin, measured against Central Dauphin's own big snow morning of 5.6 inches.

The next three school mornings

Will Central Dauphin close tomorrow?

Reading the National Weather Service forecast for the overnight and the bus hours in Harrisburg.
The Central Dauphin playbook

How Central Dauphin calls a snow day

How families hear

By email, phone call, the district website, social media, local TV and radio.

“Communication will be made to all parents and students via the district mass communications system (email, phone calls, news sources). Additional support to the initial communication system will come in the form of posts to the district website and district social media accounts.”
Inclement Weather Days - Central Dauphin School District

A 2 hour delay

On a delay morning every school starts 2 hours late.

“In the event of a two (2)-hour delay, the following Modified Kindergarten Schedule will be in effect: AM Kindergarten - Arrive 10:45-11 A.M., Dismissed 12:45 P.M.”
Delay schedule

Flexible Instructional Days

Central Dauphin has Flexible Instructional Days in its winter plan.

“ATTENTION: The Central Dauphin School District was approved for FID in the 2023-24 school year. The program approval is good for 3 years.”
Source

Making up a lost day

The 2026-27 calendar lists make-up days March 24, 25 and 29, 2027 (inside spring break) and June 14, 2027.

“The list of make-up days is not necessarily the order in which the days will be used.”
Source

The 2026 to 2027 calendar

  • First day August 31, 2026
  • Winter break Dec 23 to Jan 1
  • Last day June 10, 2027
District calendar

Read from Central Dauphin’s own pages on October 8, 2026; the district site is cdschools.org.

Ten winters of school mornings

Central Dauphin’s snow record

23.8inches of snow a winter
3school mornings a winter with 2 in of new snow or more
1.2with 4 in or more
5.6 ina big snow morning in Central Dauphin: the top tenth of snowy school mornings
0.6school mornings a winter at 0 F or colder

More 4 inch school mornings than 54% of the 490 Pennsylvania districts with a station record.

1.1Nov
2.9Dec
6.8Jan
7.3Feb
5.5Mar
Average snowfall by month, inches
  • Biggest day 13.5 in on March 14, 2017
  • Snowiest winter 2018 to 2019, 36.3 in
  • 6 in mornings 0.8 a winter
  • 1 in mornings 4.6 a winter

Measured at a NOAA weather station 3.6 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.

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The Pennsylvania rule

How Pennsylvania counts a lost day

Pennsylvania requires either 180 days, or hours: 900 for kindergarten through grade 6 and 990 for grades 7 to 12, as the district chooses. The state forgives no days; districts are expected to build make-up days into the calendar for closures beyond any Flexible Instructional Days.

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

Next door

Districts near Central Dauphin

DistrictSnow a winter4 in morningsBuilt in days
Susquehanna Township School DistrictHarrisburg23.8 in1.2
Steelton-Highspire School DistrictSteelton23.8 in1.2
Harrisburg City School DistrictHarrisburg23.8 in1.24
Lower Dauphin School DistrictHummelstown22.4 in0.7
Middletown Area School DistrictMiddletown22.4 in0.7
Camp Hill School DistrictCamp Hill23.8 in1.2
The schools

19 schools

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

High

  • Central Dauphin SHS
  • Central Dauphin East SHS

Middle

  • Central Dauphin MS
  • Linglestown MS
  • Central Dauphin East MS
  • Swatara MS, Steelton

Elementary

  • North Side El Sch
  • Paxtonia El Sch
  • South Side El Sch
  • West Hanover El Sch
  • Rutherford El Sch
  • Linglestown El Sch
  • Tri-Community El Sch, Steelton
  • Phillips El Sch
  • Mountain View El Sch
  • Lawnton El Sch
  • Paxtang El Sch
  • Middle Paxton El Sch, Dauphin
  • Chambers Hill El Sch
Questions

Central Dauphin snow day questions

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