School Closing Outlooks For Wednesday 01/14/2026 & Thursday 01/15/2026
- Jonah Drake (Owner & Co-Founder)
- 7 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Day 1 School Closing Outlook Results
Forecast Results Issued: Wednesday, January 14, 2026, 7:00 PM EST
As expected, no closings or delays were noted this morning across the area. We anticipated this and mentioned it repeatedly in our live briefing and in the original forecast discussion below.
We did have several schools dismiss students and staff early and/or cancel afternoon or evening activities. The schools that dismissed early in some way, shape, or form are indicated by yellow circles below.
Summary:
There is a “Medium” risk of school closings on Wednesday. A combination of snow, blowing snow, strong winds, and a flash-freeze threat exists and could lead to at least some scattered closures, primarily across our northwest and southwest zones.
Discussion:
A complicated winter weather forecast is on the menu this evening, with plenty of factors that could contribute to a risk of snow days on Wednesday across the western half of our area, but questions about snow amounts and timing are really limiting overall forecast confidence for this particular event.
We have a couple of different winter weather alerts posted from the National Weather Service offices in both Grand Rapids and Northern Indiana at this hour.
First and foremost, we have an upgrade to this morning's Winter Storm Watch to a Winter Storm Warning for Berrien County. This runs from 7:00 AM on Wednesday morning through 1:00 PM Thursday afternoon. 6-8 inches of new snow with locally higher amounts, winds gusting as high as 40 MPH, and whiteout conditions will make travel treacherous, especially Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.
Additionally, we have a high-end Winter Weather Advisory in effect for Mason, Oceana, Muskegon, Allegan, Van Buren, and Cass Counties. This alert is right on the verge of Winter Storm Warning criteria. Snow accumulations of 2-7 inches, with locally higher amounts, winds gusting as high as 40 MPH, reduced visibility, and blowing/drifting snow are all expected to make travel difficult, especially on Wednesday morning and Wednesday evening.
With regards to the Winter Storm Warning, while the snow totals and wind will combine to create difficult travel, as noted very clearly by the NWS in Northern Indiana, there are some doubts about how impacted the Wednesday morning commute will be. This is the first element that casts doubts on whether or not schools will announce snow days first thing in the morning.
On the other hand, the Winter Weather Advisories from the NWS in Grand Rapids indicate that Wednesday morning could be quite hairy out there with a quick-hitting burst of snow and flash-freeze potential noted in both their Area Forecast Discussion and the details of the Winter Weather Advisory. Again, the question is, just how bad will the Wednesday morning commute be, and will the snow and flash freeze begin impacting the area early enough to prompt school closures?
At the end of the day, we’ve opted to include Minuscule probabilities for all areas along and west of US-131 and northwest of a line from Cedar Springs to Marion. Within this zone, minor snowfall rates and accumulations by 7:00 AM in the morning will support a very low threat for snow days. North of a line from Hollan to Big Rapids, within this zone, a flash-freeze threat (where stagnant slush or snowmelt freezes quickly overnight due to rapid onset sub-freezing temperatures) will also possibly materialize, but confidence in this scenario is too low to warrant upgrading to higher probabilities.
Where we feel higher probabilities are warranted is in two areas. The first of which is north and west of line extending from near Grand Haven to near Reed City. Here, a combination of slightly higher snowfall rates and accumulations by 7:00 AM and a slightly higher probability of seeing the flash freeze scenario unfold, especially on secondary roadways, exists as temperatures are forecasted to fall into the mid to upper 20s by 6:00 AM.
The second area is for areas south and west of a line extending from near Douglas to near Cassopolis, especially across Berrien County. Here, we believe that a combination of snow in the morning, plus the anticipation of treacherous afternoon conditions, will likely result in a couple of school closings announced in the morning, and many more early dismissals likely in the afternoon.
Graphical Forecast:
Additional snow days are expected across parts of the area on Thursday. See details below.
Day 2 School Closing Outlook
Forecast Valid: Thursday, January 15, 2026
Forecast Issued: Tuesday, January 13, 2026, 4:23 PM EST
Forecasters: Jonah Drake
West Michigan Weather spends a lot of time making these School Closing Outlooks. It is our goal to make all of our pertinent forecasts available to everyone. However, because this is a “Day 2 Outlook” or a "Day 3 Outlook," and not a "Day 1 Outlook," and we consider this a premium benefit for those who do support us, we do ask that you help support us by donating to our organization if you are able!
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