Medford, Wisconsin, 3,158 students in 5 schools

Medford Area School District Snow Day Predictor

Q: How much snow does Medford get?

About 56.8 inches a winter at a NOAA weather station under a mile away, averaged over 10 winters. Between December 1 and March 31 that brings 5.4 weekday mornings a year with 2 inches of new snow or more, and 3.3 with 4 inches or more.

Q: What was the biggest snow day near Medford?

12 inches on January 23, 2018, the largest single day at a NOAA weather station under a mile away in 10 winters. The snowiest winter was 2017 to 2018, with 91.2 inches.

Q: Does Medford get more snow days than other Wisconsin districts?

Medford averages 3.3 weekday mornings a winter with 4 inches of new snow or more, more than 92 percent of the 412 Wisconsin districts with a station record.

Q: How does the Medford snow day predictor work?

It reads the National Weather Service forecast for Medford 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 Medford’s own big snow morning: 5 inches, the top tenth of snowy weekday mornings at a NOAA weather station under a mile away.

The odds of a closing or a delay on the next three school mornings in Medford, measured against Medford's own big snow morning of 5 inches.

The next three school mornings

Will Medford close tomorrow?

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

Ten winters of school mornings

Medford’s snow record

56.8inches of snow a winter

5.4school mornings a winter with 2 in of new snow or more

3.3with 4 in or more

5 ina big snow morning in Medford: the top tenth of snowy school mornings

More 4 inch school mornings than 92% of the 412 Wisconsin districts with a station record.

4.1Nov

12.9Dec

9.4Jan

14.4Feb

9.3Mar

Average snowfall by month, inches

Biggest day 12 in on January 23, 2018
Snowiest winter 2017 to 2018, 91.2 in
6 in mornings 1.2 a winter
1 in mornings 10.4 a winter

Measured at a NOAA weather station under a mile 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 Wisconsin rule

How Wisconsin counts a lost day

Wisconsin requires hours, not days: 437 for kindergarten, 1,050 for grades 1 to 6 and 1,137 for grades 7 to 12.

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

Next door

Districts near Medford

District	Snow a winter	4 in mornings
Stanley-Boyd Area School DistrictStanley	51.1 in	3.7
Merrill Area School DistrictMerrill	62.4 in	3.1
Marshfield School DistrictMarshfield	40.1 in	1.3
Wausau School DistrictWausau	67.3 in	2.2
Mosinee School DistrictMosinee	54.4 in	2
Tomahawk School DistrictTomahawk	71.9 in	2.9

The schools

5 schools

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

High

Medford High

Middle

Medford Middle

Elementary

Medford Elementary
Stetsonville Elementary, Stetsonville

Other schools

Rural Virtual Academy

Questions

Medford snow day questions

How much snow does Medford get?

What was the biggest snow day near Medford?

Does Medford get more snow days than other Wisconsin districts?

How does the Medford snow day predictor work?

How does Wisconsin handle snow days?

More winter

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