Mississippi Snow Day Calculator: Ice, Rare Snow and the 180 Days

Snow is rare in Mississippi. Southaven averages 1.9 inches a year and Olive Branch 1.8, Jackson 1 and Hattiesburg 0.7, while Gulfport and Biloxi average 0.2. By our rule of thumb, schools close about half the time at 1 inch of overnight snow in Southaven and Olive Branch, and at half an inch in the other four cities.

Ice can do it too: about 0.08 inch, by our rule. Type your ZIP code above to see the chance for your school, worked out from the National Weather Service forecast for your own spot.

When schools close, the 180 days still count. Mississippi’s 2026 accountability standards call for at least 180 teaching days of at least 330 minutes, and going below that takes a written request and state approval (Mississippi Department of Education).

How much snow closes school in Mississippi?

About half an inch to 1 inch of overnight snow, by our rule of thumb. The calculator sets each city’s usual closing point from its normal snowfall, and in Mississippi that is never much.

Mississippi'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.

Southaven (1.9 inches a year) and Olive Branch (1.8) sit at 1 inch. Jackson (1 inch a year), Hattiesburg (0.7), Gulfport (0.2) and Biloxi (0.2) are at the rule’s floor, half an inch.

Ice counts as well, at about 0.08 inch by our rule, and the National Weather Service usually issues an Ice Storm Warning for around a quarter inch of ice or more (NWS winter alerts). A warning out for your area raises the calculator’s chance. Snow that falls while the air is above freezing counts for less, because roads stay wet.

Where does Mississippi get the most snow?

Nowhere gets much. Of NOAA’s 103 Mississippi stations with a snowfall normal for 1991–2020, the snowiest is Hickory Flat, with 2.6 inches a year. Holly Springs (2.3 inches), Ashland (2.0), Cleveland, Hernando and Mount Pleasant (1.9 each) follow, and Fulton and Independence average 1.6.

Normal snowfall a year and normal December to February low at each of the 103 weather stations in Mississippi 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 103 stations in Mississippi

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

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

The middle of the list is 0.5 inch a year, and 10 of the 103 stations, among them Pascagoula, Picayune and Verona, average none. The calculator blends the NOAA stations nearest your ZIP code, so its numbers follow your own part of the state.

Do snow days have to be made up in Mississippi?

The state’s standards point that way, but we could not find its rule for weather days. Mississippi’s Public School Accountability Standards (2026 edition) say the year has at least 180 teaching days “in which both teachers and pupils are in regular attendance,” and each teaching day at least 330 minutes of instruction (Process Standard 13).

No more than 2 of the 180 days may be shorter days on which teachers and pupils are present for at least 60% of the normal day. Any request for an exception goes in writing to the Commission on School Accreditation (Process Standard 13).

After a disaster emergency declared by the Governor, or an emergency or major disaster declared by the President, a local school board may ask the State Board of Education to approve a year of fewer than 180 days (Process Standard 13).

What we could not find: whether any weather days are automatic, and how an ordinary snow or ice day is made up. The standards cite state laws we could not open, and we found no state guidance on weather make-up days. Your district’s calendar is the place to look.

Can Mississippi schools switch to remote learning instead?

We could not find a state rule that says. The 2026 standards mention virtual courses and virtual public schools, but not virtual days in place of a weather closure (Mississippi Public School Accountability Standards). Ask your district how it handles a closed day.

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

We found no state cold rule and no Mississippi district’s cold number in our research. Our rule of thumb sets the cold point at a wind chill of 0°F in Gulfport and Biloxi, −5°F in Hattiesburg, −7°F in Jackson, −11°F in Southaven and −12°F in Olive Branch. Each is the city’s normal December–February low minus 45 degrees, capped at 0°F; those lows run from 33.5°F in Olive Branch to 45.2°F in Biloxi.

The alert to watch is the Extreme Cold Warning, which 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 closure in Mississippi. They do say who approves changes to the year: the Commission on School Accreditation for exceptions to the 180 days, and the State Board of Education for a shorter year after a declared disaster (Process Standard 13).

We did not find a Mississippi district’s closing clock in our research, so check your district’s website, app or local news. The calculator reads snow and ice from 6 a.m. the day before to 3 p.m. on the school day, so look the evening before and again early in the morning, since forecasts change.

Snow days in Mississippi

• Our rule
  • Half an inch to 1 inch of snow
  • About 0.08 inch of ice
• School year
  • 180 teaching days
  • 330 minutes a day
• Exceptions
  • Written request to the commission
  • Shorter year after a declared disaster
• Not found
  • Weather make-up rule
  • Virtual days
  • Who orders a closure
• Snowiest spots
  • Hickory Flat 2.6 inches
  • Holly Springs 2.3 inches

Questions people ask

How many school days does Mississippi require?

At least 180 teaching days, each with at least 330 minutes of instruction, under the state’s 2026 accountability standards (Process Standard 13).

Can a Mississippi school year be shorter than 180 days?

Only with approval. Exceptions are requested in writing from the Commission on School Accreditation, and after a disaster declared by the Governor or the President a local board may ask the State Board of Education to approve fewer than 180 days (Process Standard 13).

What is a 60% day in Mississippi?

A school day on which teachers and pupils are present for at least 60% of the normal day. No more than 2 of the 180 teaching days may be 60% days (Process Standard 13).

How much snow would close school in Jackson?

By our rule of thumb, about half an inch overnight, or about 0.08 inch of ice. Jackson averages 1 inch of snow a year. Only the district decides, so check its website, app or local news.

Sources: Mississippi Public School Accountability Standards, 2026 and National Weather Service winter alerts.

Facts checked October 29, 2026.

Updated October 29, 2026