Will Unusually Low Windchills Lead to School Cancellations?

Temperatures next week are expected to be unusually low. According to ABC News 12 by Wednesday or Thursday “low temperatures not including wind chill could easily fall down in the -10 to -20 degree range for some parts of the area with wind chill values as cold as -40 degrees.”

To help families prepare, ELi asked East Lansing Public School Superintendent Dori Leyko how cold is cold enough that school will be cancelled, and how the decision is made to cancel. Leyko responded:

"· The superintendents in the Ingham ISD service area set a guideline for extreme cold/wind chill temperatures as they are most concerned about student safety when temperatures get this low.

· Although many students have transportation, many students also walk to school.

· The guideline is, if temperature/wind chill reaches -20, schools will close.

· This decision was based on information provided by NOAA on wind chill and the amount of time it takes for exposed skin to freeze. See attached flyer (-19 takes exposed skin 30 minutes to freeze.)

· Each superintendent will make the final decision for their school to stay open or close."

This means that if the temperature, with wind chill is likely to fall to -20 or below, it’s likely that East Lansing Public Schools will be closed to insure the safety of its students.