Is school closed today? How to check for a snow day
Last checked November 6, 2026.
Your school district makes the call, and it posts it in its own places first: its website, its text and email alerts, its social accounts and its phone line. Here is where to look on a stormy morning, how to get the alert before you wake up, and how to read the weather service’s warnings the night before.
The short answer
| Where | What you get |
|---|---|
| Your district’s website | The closing, delay or early dismissal, usually in a banner on the home page |
| The district’s text and email alerts | The decision on your phone as soon as it is made, if you sign up before the storm |
| The district’s social accounts | The same message, often a few minutes after the alert goes out |
| Local TV and radio | A closings list for the whole area, which helps if you have children in more than one district |
Find out who decides
A public school’s closing is decided by its district, not by the town or the county, and private and charter schools often decide on their own. If your town has more than one district, or your child’s school is in the next town over, follow the district that runs the school, not the one you live in. A daycare or after-school program may follow the district or may not; ask before the first storm.
What a district’s list looks like
Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland is a good example of how many places one decision goes out. It posts weather messages on its home page in English and Spanish, sends them by text and email to families who sign up for its free Alert MCPS service, posts them on X, Facebook and Instagram, shows them on its cable channels, records them on a phone line, and asks families to tune in to local TV and radio.
- Search “[your district] emergency alerts” or “[your district] inclement weather” to find your district’s page.
- Sign up for the text alerts on that page now, and check whether a grandparent or sitter who does mornings can sign up too.
- Bookmark the district’s home page on your phone, so the banner is one tap away on a dark morning.
Closed, delayed or dismissed early
| Announcement | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Closed | No school today. Check whether it is a remote learning day instead. |
| Delayed opening | School starts later, by the time in the announcement. Morning programs may be canceled. |
| Early dismissal | School lets out early, because weather is coming in during the day. Check whether after-school activities still run. |
| Remote or virtual day | The building is closed, but class goes on online. Your district’s message says whether it counts as a school day. |
Each district sets its own rules, so read its message rather than guessing from the word. Many put their plan for bad-weather days on the same emergency page; Montgomery County’s, for one, links a contingency calendar for days added to the end of the year.
Reading the forecast the night before
The night before, the National Weather Service’s alerts for your area are the best hint. A Winter Storm Watch means conditions are favorable for a significant winter storm. A Winter Storm Warning means a significant event of snow, ice, sleet or blowing snow is coming and travel will become difficult or impossible in some places. A Winter Weather Advisory is a step below a warning. Each local weather office sets its own thresholds, so the snow that brings a warning in the Southeast is much less than in the Northern Plains.
- An Ice Storm Warning, usually for about a quarter inch of ice or more, is the alert most likely to mean dangerous roads in the morning.
- A Wind Chill Warning means cold that can cause frostbite, which can close schools on a clear day, because children wait for buses outside.
- None of these is a closing. Only the district’s own message is.
Hear about the next one first
- Sign up for your district’s text or email alerts before the season’s first storm.
- Turn on weather alerts in your phone’s settings for warnings where you are.
- MailerDot sends one free email a day for your town with its local news, so a closing that makes the local news is there the next morning. On a storm morning, the district’s own alert is faster.
Questions people ask
How do I find out if school is closed tomorrow? Check your district’s website and its social accounts the night before, and sign up for its text alerts so a decision made overnight reaches you.
Who decides if school is closed? The school district, for public schools. Private and charter schools may decide on their own.
Does a winter storm warning mean school is closed? No. It is the weather service’s alert that travel will be difficult. Only your district’s message says whether school is closed.
Find your town’s free daily email →