Florida Snow Day Calculator: Rare Cold and Emergency Day Rules

Snow is almost unknown in Florida. Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Orlando, St. Petersburg and Port St. Lucie all have a snowfall normal of 0 inches, and 89 of NOAA’s 90 Florida stations average no snow at all. So the calculator’s snow day chance for a Florida ZIP code stays near zero unless the forecast shows snow, ice or a bitter wind chill at bus time.

If that ever happens, it would not take much. By our rule of thumb, half an inch of overnight snow or about 0.08 inch of ice would close schools about half the time. Type your ZIP code above to see the chance for your school, from the National Weather Service forecast.

Florida’s rules for closed days are written for any emergency, not just weather. Schools must run 180 teaching days or the hourly equivalent, and the State Board of Education may alter that during an emergency, on written application, when the lost time cannot be made up (Florida Statutes 1011.60).

How much snow closes school in Florida?

About half an inch overnight, by our rule of thumb, the lowest closing point the calculator uses anywhere. The closing point grows with a place’s normal snowfall, and Florida’s cities have none.

Florida's six largest cities: normal snowfall a year (NOAA 1991–2020) and the snowfall and wind chill at which, by our rule of thumb, schools there usually close.

Our rule of thumb: the usual closing point is 0.5 × (normal snowfall a year)^0.7, the cold point the normal December–February low minus 45°F. How the calculator works.

All 6 map cities share the same numbers: a closing point of half an inch and a cold point of 0°F, the top of the rule’s range. Ice counts too, at about 0.08 inch by our rule. Snow that falls while the air is above freezing counts for less in the calculator, because roads stay wet.

Where does Florida get the most snow?

Hardly anywhere. Of NOAA’s 90 Florida stations with a snowfall normal for 1991–2020, only Milton averages any, 0.1 inch a year. The other 89, from Jacksonville to Miami Beach and Naples, average 0.0.

Normal snowfall a year and normal December to February low at each of the 90 weather stations in Florida with a snowfall normal in NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals for 1991–2020, with each station's location, elevation and how complete its record is.

The 10 snowiest and 5 least snowy of 90 stations in Florida

Download “Normal snowfall at Florida weather stations, 1991–2020” (CSV, opens in Excel)

Built from: U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 (National Centers for Environmental Information).

The calculator blends the NOAA stations nearest your ZIP code, and in Florida every one of them is at or near zero. That is why its closing point stays at the floor across the state.

Do closed school days have to be made up in Florida?

Yes, unless the State Board agrees otherwise. Florida law requires districts to operate all schools for 180 actual teaching days or the equivalent in hours, as the State Board of Education’s rules set out (Florida Statutes 1011.60). Its rule sets at least 720 net instructional hours for kindergarten to grade 3 and 900 for grades 4 to 12 (Rule 6A-1.045111, effective May 21, 2026).

The State Board, “upon written application, may alter this requirement during a national, state, or local emergency,” if in its view the lost days or hours cannot be made up. Funding may then be reduced in proportion to the shorter term, and a strike does not count as an emergency (Florida Statutes 1011.60).

A school open for less than the minimum reports its students for funding in proportion to the hours it provided (Rule 6A-1.045111). We found no current state form or memo for weather make-up days, and no fixed number of free days.

Can Florida schools switch to remote learning instead?

Only as planned ahead, and only in some districts. Florida lets academically high-performing districts provide up to 2 days of virtual instruction as part of the 180 days, but the days must be on the calendar the school board approved, with a plan for each day sent to the state Department of Education before the school year starts (Florida Statutes 1003.621). The state rule repeats the 2-day limit (Rule 6A-1.045111).

So a storm cannot turn a school day into a counted virtual day on the spot. We found no state rule for counting remote days after a storm or a freeze.

How cold does it have to be to close school in Florida?

By our rule of thumb, a wind chill near 0°F at bus time, in every Florida map city. Their normal December–February lows run from 48.1°F in Jacksonville to 62.7°F in Miami, so the normal low minus 45 degrees lands above zero, and the cold point is capped at 0°F.

We found no Florida district’s cold rule in our research. The National Weather Service’s Extreme Cold Warning means extremely dangerous cold or wind chills are expected or occurring (NWS cold alerts). Each local Weather Service office sets its own thresholds (NWS wind chill chart), and the calculator raises the chance when a warning is out for your area.

Who decides, and when do families hear?

The rules we read do not say who orders a school or district closure in Florida. They do say who can change the school year afterward: the State Board of Education, on a written application, during an emergency (Florida Statutes 1011.60).

For a closing, watch your district’s website, app and local news. The calculator reads only winter weather: snow, ice, wind chill and the Weather Service’s winter, cold and fog alerts. It does not read hurricane or flood alerts, so it says nothing about storms of those kinds.

Snow days in Florida

• Snow
  • 89 of 90 stations average none
  • Milton 0.1 inch
• Our rule
  • Half an inch of snow
  • About 0.08 inch of ice
  • Wind chill near 0°F
• School year
  • 180 days or the hours
  • 720 or 900 hours by grade
• Emergencies
  • State Board may alter the year
  • Written application needed
• Virtual days
  • Up to 2, planned ahead
  • High-performing districts only

Questions people ask

Does Florida have snow days?

Snow is almost unknown in Florida’s weather records: 89 of NOAA’s 90 stations average none, and the snowiest, Milton, averages 0.1 inch a year. The calculator still checks every forecast. By our rule of thumb, half an inch of snow or about 0.08 inch of ice would close schools about half the time.

How many school days does Florida require?

180 actual teaching days, or the hourly equivalent (Florida Statutes 1011.60): at least 720 net instructional hours for kindergarten to grade 3 and 900 for grades 4 to 12 (Rule 6A-1.045111).

Can a Florida school year be shortened after an emergency?

Yes, on written application. The State Board of Education may alter the 180-day requirement during a national, state or local emergency when lost time cannot be made up, and funding may be reduced in proportion (Florida Statutes 1011.60).

Can Florida schools hold virtual days instead of closing?

Only academically high-performing districts, and only up to 2 virtual days planned on the board-approved calendar before the school year (Florida Statutes 1003.621).

Sources: Florida Statutes 1011.60 (the school term), Rule 6A-1.045111 (instructional hours) and Florida Statutes 1003.621 (virtual days).

Facts checked October 29, 2026.

Updated October 29, 2026