Snow Days 2026-27: How Seven Big School Districts Announce Closures and Make-Up Days

The School District of Philadelphia lists the earliest closing deadline of seven big districts for 2026-27: the superintendent’s final decision “By 4:00AM,” by its Inclement Weather Policy page, last modified May 18, 2026. Montgomery County, Seattle, Baltimore County and Columbus set deadlines of 5 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. on their own pages. We read each district’s official page on Nov. 4, 2026; where a page is silent, the table says “Not stated.”

How do seven big districts announce snow days and make-up days?

Sorted by decision time as printed (each in the district’s own zone). The abbreviations are New York City Public Schools (NYCPS), Chicago Public Schools (CPS), Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS), Seattle Public Schools (SPS) and Columbus City Schools (CCS). Times are Eastern Time (ET) unless marked; Seattle is Pacific Time (PT) and Chicago is Central Time (CT).

District	How families are told	Decision by	Remote on a closure day?	Make-up days in the calendar
Philadelphia	Email, text, district website, media	4:00 a.m. ET (final), confirmed by 4:30 a.m., notices by 4:45 a.m.	Not stated	Not stated
MCPS (Maryland)	Alert MCPS, X, Facebook, Instagram, Ask MCPS at (240) 740-3000	Morning decision by 5 a.m. ET; evening decision by 7 p.m.; early release by 10:30 a.m.	“Code Purple”: yes; virtual instruction considered for multi-day events	Not stated
Seattle (SPS)	Flash Alert, TV, radio, social media, SchoolMessenger calls and emails between 5 and 6 a.m.	Target by 5 a.m. PT	Not stated	June 22 and 23, 2027, “potential”
BCPS (Maryland)	Media, BCPS website, Education Channel, BCPS TV	By 5:30 a.m. ET	Yes: closures include the Virtual Learning Program	Not stated
Columbus (CCS)	Automated call, email, text, website, social media	No later than 5:30 a.m. ET, may come the night before	Not stated	None listed
Chicago (CPS)	Email, text, robocall, website, social media, 773-553-1000	“As soon as the decision is made” (no fixed time)	Not stated	Not stated
New York City (NYCPS)	Not stated on the calendar page	No time stated	“May be in session remotely”	None listed

Our printable school-year calendar page has blank layouts to mark your own district’s closure days, and the free sheet for this story repeats the table on one page.

What does Philadelphia say about the timeline?

The School District of Philadelphia’s page gives three clock times: the superintendent’s final decision “By 4:00AM,” confirmation “By 4:30AM” and the notification cascade “By 4:45AM.” It names email, text, the district website and media as channels. The page says nothing on remote days or make-up days, so we state neither.

Pennsylvania has a state option for weather days. The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) says that a local education agency (LEA) may use flexible instructional days (FIDs) for the reasons in Section 1506, and hazardous weather is among them. In its words: “An LEA may use up to five FIDs per school year for the reasons noted in Section 1506.” Applications ran from April 1 to June 1, 2026, and PDE “must notify applicants by no later than August 1.” Philadelphia’s page does not mention FIDs, so we do not say it uses them.

How do Maryland districts handle snow days?

MCPS lists three deadlines on its Closings page: “Morning Decision - made and announced by 5 am,” an evening decision by 7 p.m. and an early release by 10:30 a.m. It names Alert MCPS, X, Facebook and Instagram, plus the Ask MCPS line at (240) 740-3000. The page says virtual instruction is considered for predictable multi-day events, and that under “Code Purple” staff and students report virtually.

On March 24, 2026, MCPS posted a calendar notice about the 2025-26 spring schedule. It said the Maryland State Board approved a waiver of “three days of student attendance,” that MCPS “will submit an Inclement Weather Virtual Learning Plan to the Maryland State Department of Education,” and that June 15-17 were added, making June 18, 2026 the last day. That is a past event, not a 2026-27 rule, and no 2026-27 make-up days are stated. Our MCPS calendar story covers the year’s breaks.

BCPS says an announcement “will be made by 5:30 a.m.” through media, its website, the Education Channel and BCPS TV, and that “school closures also include the Virtual Learning Program.” The page does not confirm make-up days, so none are listed.

What do Seattle and Columbus say about closures?

SPS sends Flash Alert, TV, radio and social media notices, with SchoolMessenger calls and emails “between 5-6 a.m.” Its Inclement Weather Transportation Plan says “The targeted time for decisions … is by 5 a.m.” The School Calendar page, posted Aug. 10, 2026, says: “June 22, 23 are potential emergency closure makeup days.” See the SPS calendar story for the full year.

CCS uses an automated call, email, text, its website and social media, and decides “no later than 5:30 a.m.,” which may come the night before. Its 2026-27 Traditional Calendar PDF lists no make-up days. It says the calendar “is subject to revision due to emergencies created by severe weather, energy problems, or other public calamities that force the cancellation of classes.”

What do Chicago and New York City say?

CPS says it “contacts parents about school closings through emails, texts, and robocalls,” and also uses its website, social media and the main number, 773-553-1000. Families hear “as soon as the decision is made,” with no fixed time. The page does not cover remote days or make-up days; see the CPS calendar story for the year’s dates.

The NYCPS 2026-27 calendar says: “On days when school buildings are closed due to inclement weather or other emergencies, NYCPS may be in session remotely.” The calendar now says “may”; older NYCPS messages said “will.” It lists no make-up days.

What to set up before the first storm

Our suggestions, based on the channels each district names. Keep the table next to your January 2027 and February 2027 calendars for the winter months.

1. Sign up for the alert system your district names: Alert MCPS, SchoolMessenger or Flash Alert for Seattle, or the email and text lists for Philadelphia, Chicago and Columbus.
2. Check that your phone number and email on file with the school are current.
3. Note your district’s decision time from the table, and watch the district website and social media accounts it lists.
4. Read your district’s page on remote days, and look for make-up days in the calendar.