It Might Snow! Close the Schools! Ah, Life in the South
By DW Davis
@DWDavis (25805)
United States
February 11, 2016 9:16pm CST
The weather forecast for our area of NC is currently calling for a 65% chance of wintry precipitation beginning tomorrow around 11:00 a.m. Total accumulations are expected to be less than an inch. During the afternoon, rain is supposed to mix with the snow. The high for the day is only expected to reach 33(F).
As a precaution, our school district (for those who don't know, I am a middle grades teacher as well as a published author) has closed schools tomorrow for students and staff.
I'm wondering what the folks at the Central Office know about this potential storm that the weather forecasters aren't telling us. I was expecting, possibly, an early dismissal if we arrived at school and the radar started to show the snow actually coming our way. Or perhaps waiting until early morning before the buses began to roll to make the call. But they called it sometime between 6 and 7 p.m. while my missus and I were at dinner.
What puzzles me even more is the fact that schools are closed to students and staff. Usually, when this happens, they close the schools to students and make it an optional workday for staff. This time they are leaving no option. Staff are not to report to the schools.
All this leads me to believe that folks at District HQ think this event will be much worse than is currently being reported. They get their information directly from the National Weather Service, so maybe they do know something the Weather Channel isn't telling us.
If you live in a area where there is wintry weather, do your schools close every time there's a threat of snow, do they wait until it actually starts snowing, or do they have school as usual even if it snows?
18 people like this
23 responses
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
12 Feb 16
Our schools don't close unless there is at least 5 feet of snow on the ground and only if it's windy and the snow drifts even higher. But then we are in northern Illinois we get snow.
4 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
12 Feb 16
@JudyEv As long as the roads are clear we have school here. No matter how much snow it's the roads. I live in a small town so lots of kids are in the country on farms and such. As long as the buses can get there, there will be school
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
12 Feb 16
We live in an area that often gets a lot of snow in the winter. I don't think we have had a snow day so far this year. One year, my children had one day off a week for almost three months. We had two stat holidays, a PD day, snow days and one fog day.
3 people like this
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
12 Feb 16
@DWDavis it was so thick and lasted for an entire day. You could barely see two car lengths ahead and they felt taking the children out in this would have been irresponsible. I agree.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (136446)
• India
12 Feb 16
We do not have snow issues here but heavy rains do prompt the closure of schools in the vicinity
2 people like this
@allknowing (136446)
• India
12 Feb 16
@DWDavis Some low lying areas flood quickly. In some compounds they need to use a boat
1 person likes this
@Poppylicious (11133)
•
12 Feb 16
It's the end of the world! Sounds a bit like someone high up wants a day off work! They're going to look a tad silly when there's just a light dusting of snow. We tend to go crazy over here when there's a tiny bit of snow.
2 people like this
@DWDavis (25805)
• United States
12 Feb 16
The real issue is the buses. Our snow removal equipment and techniques are not as well equipped or prepared as those more used to snowfall, and our bus drivers, by and large, have little to no practice driving on snow slick roads. As a result, our school districts go by a strict better safe than sorry policy.
1 person likes this
@quarternoes (236)
• Indianapolis, Indiana
12 Feb 16
LOL sometimes I think it's the teachers who don't want to come out.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25805)
• United States
12 Feb 16
@quarternoes Getting to my old school was more of a challenge in bad weather. I had a one-way 26 mile commute. Now I'm only 11 miles from school, and it's all country roads.
1 person likes this
@quarternoes (236)
• Indianapolis, Indiana
12 Feb 16
@DWDavis Well, not pertaining to you exactly. It's a job you love. I do know that in public schools, it's a pain geittng in and out downtown and it's the teachers who have to drive in this. They don't get a bus ride...lol
1 person likes this
@kamel622 (310)
• United States
12 Feb 16
Our one closure this year was called the night before the storm was expected...it was a good thing. We got about 8" of snow and had wind so it was almost blizzard like. The schools pretty much stay open no matter what with maybe 1 or 2 closures a year here in my area of Wisconsin.
1 person likes this
@maezee (41988)
• United States
12 Feb 16
It seems like here in Minnesota, things do not get cancelled ahead of time like that - in fact, they hardly ever have snow days! Which was definitely irritating while growing up. I think that states in the south need to work on their "emergency preparedness" for these types of situations though.
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (19949)
• United States
12 Feb 16
My mother says it's supposed to snow between 10am to 12pm today in Greenville, NC. We are supposed to get snow too.
1 person likes this
@JohnRoberts (109846)
• Los Angeles, California
12 Feb 16
Here in Southern California, nothing weather wise ever closes schools not even heat.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25805)
• United States
12 Feb 16
@JohnRoberts I just listened to it. Was there a Robby Benson movie based on that song, or was that California Dreaming?
@JohnRoberts (109846)
• Los Angeles, California
12 Feb 16
@DWDavis Robby Benson appeared in the TV series American Dreams. California Dreams as a live action Saturday morning series from the Saved by the Bell era.
1 person likes this
@JohnRoberts (109846)
• Los Angeles, California
12 Feb 16
@DWDavis Yep, It Never Rains in Southern California which is one of our unofficial anthems.
1 person likes this
@CVanBoerdonk (197)
•
13 Feb 16
Stuff like this always make me laugh. Personally I am from northern Canada. Although, my Uncle moved to NC about 5 years ago now. He is always telling me how they close the schools if there is even a chance of snow. I sit back and go seriously? Why?
Why is it that school down there gets cancelled when there is a chance of snow? Can you guys literally not handle it?
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25805)
• United States
13 Feb 16
We don't have the snow removal equipment in numbers large enough to clear all the secondary roads in time for the buses to run and our buses aren't equipped with the right tires for snow. The buses are the primary reason we close the schools when threatened with inclement weather.
@CVanBoerdonk (197)
•
13 Feb 16
@DWDavis Aaah completely understandable. Even though harsh winters are the norm here people still don't know how to drive in it and there are many many accidents. Couldn't imagine what that would be like in a place where snow is not normal.
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104628)
• United States
12 Feb 16
You are about 3 hours away from us. I don't know anything about our school district yet but we usually call it pretty late at night. I've not watched the weather lately, just heard it wasn't supposed to amount to much.
1 person likes this
@ricki_911 (21625)
• Toronto, Ontario
13 Feb 16
They close schools down when it is only 33 F (which would be 0C)?. It is currently -35C with the wind chill and snow squalls we just go about our day 
.
.1 person likes this
@Kikijoyce (107)
•
12 Feb 16
I come from East Africa so we have never touched snow,but we had heavy rains and schools had to be closed.its however very hot now
1 person likes this
