Des Moines Public Schools snow day prediction
Live closure and delay odds for Des Moines Public Schools in Des Moines, IA, based on the latest hourly forecast for the city. Use your own ZIP code for a neighborhood-level forecast.
Winter weather in Des Moines
Central Iowa's open terrain means wind is a major factor: modest snowfall plus strong winds can produce blowing and drifting that close rural roads around the metro even when city streets are passable.
Storms here can also bring freezing drizzle, which is hard for forecast models to capture. If the forecast shows light precipitation near freezing, watch the confidence score.
How we model Des Moines
- Snow tolerance
- Snow country
- Snow at ~50% odds
- 7″
- Ice at ~50% odds
- 0.15″
- Cold line
- -25°F
Default area type: Urban / walkable. These are model settings, not district policy. Read how the prediction works or the Upper Midwest & Northern Plains guide.
Official information
For confirmed closures and delays, use Des Moines Public Schools's official website and the district's text or app alerts. SnowCall is independent and not affiliated with the district.
Nearby districts
Frequently asked questions
Is Des Moines Public Schools closed tomorrow?
SnowCall cannot tell you whether school is closed — only the district can. The estimate above is a forecast-based probability. For official closures and delays, check dmschools.org, the district's alert system, or local news.
How much snow does it take to close Des Moines Public Schools?
There is no published snowfall number. The model treats Des Moines as a "snow country" area, where about 7" of overnight snow, 0.15" of ice, or a morning wind chill near -25°F makes a closure roughly a coin flip. Timing, temperature and wind can move that a lot.
Where does this forecast come from?
Hourly data from Open-Meteo for Des Moines (41.59, -93.63), four global weather models, and the National Weather Service's gridded snow and ice forecast and alerts.