Many countries and smaller jurisdictions have mandates for a minimum number of school days in a year. In order to meet these requirements, many public school systems and private schools that can expect to be closed sometimes during the year by inclement weather will often build a few extra days into their calendar for snow closures. If by the end of the year, these days are not used, some schools may give their students days off. If all snow days are exhausted, and inclement weather requires more closures, the days must be made up later in the year.
Reasons
Black ice may result in closings and cancellations due to the hazard it poses on travel
There are various reasons for weather-related cancellations:
Road safety
Safety is of prime concern when a comes to deciding to make a cancellation or delay. School closings and other cancellations may occur in order to keep those traveling to the location of the roads in an effort to prevent accidents or other problems that may result from travel in inclement weather.
During minor storms, when safety is believed to be of minimal concern if any at all, there may be few or no cancellations or delays. But in the most severe forms of inclement weather, only the most essential operations may remain functional.
Operations considered to be "essential" include health care, emergency services, and retail of basic necessities. In health care settings, if travel is impaired, employees may be required to remain at the facility around the clock. While tourist attractions will generally be closed, those housing live animals may require essential employees to report to work in order to assure animals receive proper care.
Television and radio services will generally remain in operation, and therefore travel as necessary to reach the locations, and elected officials will travel as necessary to provide their services to the public. Also those involved in the removal of snow will remain at work.
Passibility
Certain types of inclement weather may make passage on the roads impossible or difficult. In developed nations, municipalities will attempt to clear snow-covered roads to the best of their ability. But this is not always fully possible, and when such is the case, there is the recognition that not everyone will be able to travel.
In deeper snowfalls, personal vehicles may become trapped, and their removal through shoveling may take up to several days. This may factor into a decision to keep closures in effect beyond the day of the snowfall.
The ability of employees of an operation to reach their places of employment is a factor in remaining open or deciding to close.
Structural issues
Certain weather conditions may render structures temporarily or permanently useless. Some form of inclement weather may cause power outages or may prevent heat or air conditioning from working. Others may cause structural damage that may lead to the building needing long-term repair.
Snow days
North America
United States Office of Personnel Management notification that Federal agencies in the Washington DC region would be closed on December 21, 2009, due to the North American blizzard of 2009.
A snow day in the United States and Canada is a day in which school classes are cancelled or delayed by snow, heavy ice, or extremely low temperatures. Similar measures may occur in response to flooding, a tornado watch or the strong possibilty of tornadoes/severe weather during the school day, hurricanes, dense fog, and other forms of inclement weather. The criterion for enacting a snow day is primarily inability of school buses to make their routes and the potential dangers posed to children venturing out in blizzard conditions should they have to walk to school. In many cases, the school officially remains open even though buses do not run and classes are canceled for lack of students. Schools and businesses may also be canceled for non weather-related reasons such as during a widespread pandemic, power failure, terrorist attack, bomb threat, or in honor of a well-known staff member such as a superintendent or teacher who has recently passed away. In some cases only one school or business in a town may be closed, possibly due to a water main break, or a lack of heat or air-conditioning.
Inclement weather in some regions is more likely to result in a cancellation or delay than in others, based on the region's ability to handle the situation. Snow days are less common in more northern areas of the United States that are used to heavy winter snowfall, because municipalities are well equipped to handle road clearing and snow removal. In warmer areas of the country, such as Atlanta, Dallas, Memphis, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, snow days result from small snowfalls, many less than an inch or two, rendering roadways unsafe with snow and ice.
In some areas, a certain number of extra days are included in the school calendar as "built-in" snow days. Once the number of snow days taken exceeds the number of built-in days, the snow days must be made up. In other states, all snow days must be made up. For example, schools may extend the remaining school days later into the afternoon, shorten spring break, or delay the start of summer vacation. However some schools are more forgiving, and don't force any make up days.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, snow days are not a very common event, especially across the south. Scottish, Northen Irish, Welsh and Northern English schools may experience some closures during the winter months in the northern latitude of Scotland and the altitude of much of Wales and parts of northern England. In Southern England, however, significant snowfall is not a frequent event and when it does fall it rarely lasts for more than a few days across low-lying areas.
Delays
Instead of outright cancelling an entire school day, some schools may put off opening by, for example, one or two hours, or announce a particular opening time. This can be advantageous in some places where schools are not charged a "snow day" by delaying their opening. Many systems will totally cancel their morning kindergarten under these circumstances. This is particularly common during light snowfalls of 2 inches or less in areas accustomed to moderate winter snowfall, such as the New York metropolitan area and adjacent southern New England.
In the event of fog, some schools may delay the opening of school three hours but extend the day an extra hour.
Early dismissals
On some days, conditions may be adequate for school to open at the usual time, but deteriorate as the day progresses, such as with an incoming snowstorm that does not start until after the school day has begun. As a result, school districts or some other education authorities may close down their schools at an earlier time than normal. Schools might also close down early with water, heat, or power outages, or gas leaks.
Settings affected
Workplaces
Workplaces are less likely to close during mildly inclement weather, but the more severe the storm, the more likely a workplace is to close.
Some employers who use most essential types of employees, such as health care facilities, have some or all of their employees stay and sleep on the premises while off duty if bad weather that hampers commute is anticipated. Many supermarkets, convenience stores, and gas stations will attempt to remain open if possible out of public need and the possibility of increased business in such an event. Businesses of lesser daily importance to the public, such as small clothing or antique shops, may close in moderate or severe weather.
In most severe storms, police and fire departments will use specialized vehicles to improve their ability to respond to emergencies. Other workers involved in handling issues pertaining to the inclement weather, such as snow plow operators, will report to work, and reporters and local elected officials will be on duty in order to serve the public.
Transport
Passenger trains may face a diminished ability to operate in severe snow
In severe weather, airlines, rail, buses and other transport operators may cancel or reduce services. Route impassability, airport closure, employees' safety and public safety may result in such action. However, some modes of transport are more prone to severe weather than others, and different forms of bad weather have different impacts.
In air travel, the decision is often based on the guidelines of the country's Civil Aviation Authority, such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States.
Even when the service does operate, unplanned delays are likely, as operators take extra precautions or passageways are congested. The level of service provided may be diminished after a lower demand for service, fewer operators being available, or fewer passable routes. Yet sometimes demand for public transport may increase as commuters choose to leave the arduous job of driving to carriers.
In particularly hot weather, rail vehicles may be delayed by the expansion of the steel tracks.
Public transport may continue to operate on main arteries, though they may still experience delays. Buses that operate on secondary roads, especially those that are narrow or difficult to negotiate, may either be completely cancelled or diverted to a main road.
Although bad weather has little effect on the underground subway system, electricity outage and flooding may disrupt services. For example, on August 8, 2007, following a tornado in Brooklyn, New York, the New York Subway flooded, thereby grounded all trains to a halt during rush hour. Burst demand may result from employers and schools clearing out in anticipation of a tropical cyclone as people turn to subway when other modes of transport are threatened.
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