If you are in the one of listed counties in New York State, your educational institution can be delayed or closed due to severe weather conditions when New York experiences seven inches (7″) or more of snow in twelve hours or nine inches (9″) in twenty-four hours.
Should that happen, a “State of Emergency” may be issued thus closing or delaying the opening of the schools up to two hours to give parents and students sufficient time to travel in the inclement weather.
If you suspect that a public or private school may not be operating on schedule, you should call the school directly for verification. Since local weather can affect the use of mass transit, always keep current with bus and subway information provided by the MTA.
As a benefit, most educational institution will have the information on their school closing or delay available as early as 5:00 am Eastern Time on the school’s messaging system and on their website and will notify local radio and television stations as well so parents and students can be informed. If your educational institution has email or text alerts, be sure to register for the service as they may not report it to news organizations or the news organization that your household follows.
If you are having trouble reaching your public educational institution in New York or you do not have access to a computer with Internet service at home to follow updates between 4:00 AM and 6:00 AM, you will want to dial 311 or 212-NEW-YORK (639-9675).
During the specified time, the Chancellor will will announce the citywide decision to close or delay the opening of schools. If schools are closed, when safe, explore the city with places offering student discounts in New York.
If you are currently out-of-town and is heading back to the New York area, the New York Schools Delays & Closing resources below can also help you to find out if the school (college or university) has a delayed opening or will be closed partially or for the entire day.
As a bonus, you can receive text alerts to your Internet enable mobile phone or receive emails alerts in your inbox to eliminate continuous browsing the Internet. When checking the news organization below, please be sure to check all of them as they are updated at different intervals and will not have the same information at the same time.
Via Telephone
311 School Closing and Delays is a Service of the Department of Education and provides closing on public school closings or delays between 4:00 AM and 6:00 AM on the morning of the scheduled closure. Please note that information about the closing of private schools is not available and you should contact the private school directly.
Via the Internet
ABC School Closing and Delays is a Service of WABC-TV and provides closing for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The school closings and delays are provided as soon as they are reported to WABC.
CBS School Closings and Delays is a Service of WCBS-AM, WCBS-FM and WCBS-TV and provides closing for New York school closings and delays as soon as they are reported to WCBS. Their service lets you search by the name or the first letter of the schools, college or universities.
FOX School Closings and Delays is a Service of WNYW and provides closing for New York school closings and delays as soon as they are reported to WNYW. Their service lets you sign up to receive an email when there are school closings.
NBC School Closing and Delays is a service of WNBC-TV and provides closing for New York school closings and delays as soon as they are reported to WNBC. The service lets you scroll through an alphabetized listing of the schools, colleges and universities.
WOR School Closing and Delays is a service of WOR-AM and provides closing for New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania school closings and delays as soon as they are reported to WOR. The service lets you scroll through an alphabetized listing of the schools, colleges and universities.
Weather Prediction
Weather Underground provides forecasts for the New York and the world with a fast, easy to use interface and includes weather maps, graphics and radar images. With it’s archive, you can see past weather reports and also predict school closing with the forecasts service.
Join us in our New York Forum if you have any comments or questions.
Steve Pringle
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