Do Southeast Michigan schools close because of extremely cold weather?
Do Southeast Michigan schools close because of extremely cold weather?
The answer is yes.
It has happened on occasion in the past, and many of the region's school districts have posted procedures that help in making those decisions.
Most Southeast Michigan school districts look for temperatures or wind chills to be minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit for closing decisions over extreme cold, based on their published policies. Others look for temperatures or wind chills to be below 15 degrees.
"Closing school based solely on temperature alone is the most difficult criterion to use," Algonac Community Schools says in its school closing policy.
A detail that students and parents should remember is that what is called a "snow day" is an emergency day for any reason. Most of Southeast Michigan's schools have already called some days off this year because of snow, ice, water main breaks, road conditions or fog. While Michigan schools have some leeway in setting their academic calendars, the state requires at least 1,098 hours and 180 days of student instruction.
State officials occasionally grant extended emergency days, such as what was done for some of Northern Lower Michigan's schools in response to the March 2025 ice storm. Those communities fell under a State of Emergency declaration.
There was also a special exemption granted for the 2018-2019 school year, allowing four additional days off corresponding to the days that Michigan was under a State of Emergency declaration for extreme cold.
But in most cases, makeup days will be scheduled once too many days are called off in a given school year.
Exams, sports, dances and other student activities are rescheduled on a case-by-case basis.
You can find the latest school closing notices on the CBS News Detroit website and in a crawl line on air during our news broadcasts.
Here are some cold-weather policy examples from across the region:
Algonac Community Schools in St. Clair County
"Generally, school will be closed when the actual temperature combined with the wind chill is between 20 and 25 degrees below zero for an extended period of time," the Algonac school closing policy states.
Ann Arbor Public Schools in Washtenaw County
Ann Arbor Public Schools says the district will be closed when the temperature or wind chill is below 20 degrees.
Center Line Public Schools in Macomb County
Center Line Public Schools lists "extreme cold" as one of the potential reasons for an emergency school closing.
Dearborn Public Schools in Wayne County
Dearborn says it will "not consider cancelling for low temperatures until the wind chill drops to –20 or worse." Parents are asked to bundle up the students "and get them safely to class" if the temperature hasn't reached that point.
Howell Public Schools in Livingston County
"The district will cancel school if the forecasted, sustained wind chill is –20 Fahrenheit or colder during the period of time that students will be waiting for a bus or walking to school," Howell officials said.
Monroe Public Schools in Monroe County
Superintendent Andrew Shaw said in a social media post that 15 degrees below zero, whether temperature or wind chill, is the range that Monroe County's superintendents have agreed on for cancellation due to extreme cold.
Pontiac School District in Oakland County
"School closures are based on extreme conditions like dangerous wind chills, transportation safety, and road conditions, not temperature alone. Schools typically close when wind chills approach around -20 degrees Fahrenheit," the district said in a social media post.