Bristol, Vermont, 1,277 students in 5 schools

Mt. Abraham Unified School District Snow Day Predictor

Q: How much snow does Bristol get?

About 108.1 inches a winter at a NOAA weather station 7.2 miles away, averaged over 8 winters. Between December 1 and March 31 that brings 8.9 weekday mornings a year with 2 inches of new snow or more, and 4.8 with 4 inches or more.

Q: What was the biggest snow day near Mt. Abraham?

23 inches on March 15, 2017, the largest single day at a NOAA weather station 7.2 miles away in 8 winters. The snowiest winter was 2017 to 2018, with 133.3 inches.

Q: Does Mt. Abraham get more snow days than other Vermont districts?

Mt. Abraham averages 4.8 weekday mornings a winter with 4 inches of new snow or more, more than 77 percent of the 52 Vermont districts with a station record.

Q: How does the Mt. Abraham snow day predictor work?

It reads the National Weather Service forecast for Bristol 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 Mt. Abraham’s own big snow morning: 5.1 inches, the top tenth of snowy weekday mornings at a NOAA weather station 7.2 miles away.

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

The next three school mornings

Will Mt. Abraham close tomorrow?

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

Ten winters of school mornings

Mt. Abraham’s snow record

108.1inches of snow a winter

8.9school mornings a winter with 2 in of new snow or more

4.8with 4 in or more

5.1 ina big snow morning in Mt. Abraham: the top tenth of snowy school mornings

17.4school mornings a winter at 0 F or colder

More 4 inch school mornings than 77% of the 52 Vermont districts with a station record.

14.5Nov

17.7Dec

23.8Jan

22.5Feb

21.6Mar

Average snowfall by month, inches

Biggest day 23 in on March 15, 2017
Snowiest winter 2017 to 2018, 133.3 in
6 in mornings 2.4 a winter
1 in mornings 16.6 a winter

Measured at a NOAA weather station 7.2 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 Vermont rule

How Vermont counts a lost day

Vermont requires at least 175 student attendance days a year, with the school board setting the length of the day. A school closed for a cause beyond the board's control may petition the State Board for a waiver, filed within 10 days of each closing and by June 15; if granted the district is treated as having met the requirement.

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

Next door

Districts near Mt. Abraham

District	Snow a winter	4 in mornings
Addison Central Supervisory DistrictMiddlebury	61.5 in	2.8
Harwood Unified Union Supervisory DistrictWaitsfield	95.4 in	3.7
Champlain Valley Supervisory DistrictShelburne	63.3 in	1.9
Rutland Northeast Supervisory UnionBrandon	82.4 in	4.9
South Burlington Supervisory DistrictSouth Burlington	78.8 in	3.2
Burlington Supervisory DistrictBurlington	78.8 in	3.2

The schools

5 schools

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

High

Mt. Abraham Union High School

Elementary

Bristol Elementary School
Monkton Central School, Monkton
Robinson School, Starksboro
Beeman Elementary School, New Haven

Questions

Mt. Abraham snow day questions

How much snow does Bristol get?

What was the biggest snow day near Mt. Abraham?

Does Mt. Abraham get more snow days than other Vermont districts?

How does the Mt. Abraham snow day predictor work?

How does Vermont handle snow days?

More winter

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