Snow Day
FAQ
Questions about Snow Day
Direct answers about how the app works, what it costs, what it collects, and how to read the number.
Will there be a snow day tomorrow?
Open Snow Day tonight. It shows a percentage for the next school morning, computed from tonight's hourly forecast for your location, and lists the reasons under "What's driving it". Above 60% is Likely; above 80% is Very Likely.
How accurate is Snow Day?
It is a forecast-based estimate, so it is as good as tonight's forecast and the assumptions about your board. The model weights the same things bus consortia weigh, and it shows you its reasons so you can judge. Boards also weigh things no forecast can see, like whether the plows got ahead of it.
What time should I check?
Around 9 PM the evening before is when the forecast has settled; that is when the evening notification goes out. Snow Day also refreshes itself around 5 AM so the number on your wrist and lock screen is current for the bus decision.
How much snow does it take for a snow day?
It depends on the board. Around 12 cm overnight is a coin flip for a typical Ontario or Northeast board; rural boards cancel closer to 8 cm, and big-city boards rarely cancel below 18. Snow during the 4–9 AM bus run matters far more than the total. Set your board's tolerance in Snow Day.
Does Snow Day work in Canada?
Yes. It is built in Ontario, uses the Canadian GEM model alongside the American GFS, and reads Environment Canada alerts. It works everywhere in Canada and the United States.
Does Snow Day have an Apple Watch app?
Yes, and it is the only snow day predictor that does. The watch shows the odds, the reasons and the days ahead, refreshes on its own, and offers complications for your watch face.
Does it send push notifications?
It sends one notification the evening before, at the time you choose, only when the chance is at or above your threshold, and never twice for the same morning. Notifications are scheduled on your device; there is no server.
Are there ads?
No. No ads, no subscriptions, no accounts, and no tracking of any kind. The app costs $0.99 once.
What does the app collect about me?
Nothing. Your location is sent to the weather services to fetch a forecast and to nobody else; it is not stored anywhere but your own devices. The App Store privacy label reads "Data Not Collected".
Why does it say 0% in September?
Because there is no winter weather in the forecast. The Why page still shows the measured conditions so you can see it is working.
Can I use it without location access?
Yes. Turn off Use GPS in Settings and type a city; the app uses that city's coordinates and never reads your location.
Does it predict freezing rain and ice days?
Yes. Freezing rain, freezing drizzle and ice pellets are scored by how many hours they fall and how much liquid, weighted toward the bus run. Rain that turns into a flash freeze is scored too.
What about extreme cold days?
If your board cancels for wind chill (common on the Prairies and in northwestern Ontario), turn on the cold policy at −40 or −45. Snow Day computes the standard wind chill index and treats it as a driver.
Is there an Android version?
Not yet. Snow Day is for iPhone and Apple Watch.