As of 11:45 p.m. Wednesday, the National Weather Service was predicting early-morning low temperatures of about 16 degrees in Cincinnati on Thursday. Combined with winds forecast between 13 and 22 mph, that would mean wind chills near zero around 6-7 a.m.
The Dayton-Springfield forecast was similar, with just slightly stronger winds. Both areas saw strong wind gusts late Wednesday.
Dayton Public Schools did not announce school closures Wednesday night, but posted on social media that very cold weather was expected Thursday. They encouraged families to “dress students in warm clothing, such as scarves, gloves, hats, coats, and socks, especially if they walk to school or will be waiting at the bus stop.”
By Thursday morning, numerous school districts in Miami, Clark, Shelby and other counties north of Dayton were on two-hour delays.
When making the decision to close, schools weigh multiple factors — the importance of in-school learning, the child-care struggles parents face when schools are unexpectedly closed, and the tough balance that some children may lack warm clothing, but others may depend on eating breakfast and/or lunch at school.
Cincinnati Public Schools’ “severe weather procedures” don’t offer hard-and-fast rules, but say that CPS wants to make sure students and staff are safe while maximizing students’ time in class.
“We know that start delays and no-school days for snow or extreme temperatures represent an inconvenience to parents, so we do our best to declare them only when necessary,” CPS’ website says.
The Dayton district says, “the safety of students and staff is the basis for determining the cancellation of school … Generally speaking, if the air temperature reaches 0 degrees, school may be canceled due to safety reasons. Wind chill would also factor into this decision.”
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