Colorado Springs sits at over 6,000 feet elevation at the base of Pikes Peak, making it one of the highest-elevation major cities in the United States. That altitude — combined with the city’s position on the Front Range — creates a winter weather environment that is unique even compared to Denver, just 70 miles to the north. Our Snow Day Calculator pulls real-time weather data for Colorado Springs CO and El Paso County, analyzing snowfall forecasts, temperature swings, elevation-driven variation, ice risk, and road conditions to estimate school closure probability for your ZIP code.
El Paso County has six major school districts, each making independent snow day decisions: Colorado Springs District 11, Academy District 20, Cheyenne Mountain District 12, Falcon District 49, Widefield District 3, and Harrison District 2. A single storm can produce very different conditions across these districts depending on their elevation and location. Enter your ZIP code for the most localized estimate — the official call always comes from your district.
Pikes Peak dominates the western skyline of Colorado Springs, and it dominates the city’s weather too. Upslope storms — where moisture-laden air from the east gets pushed up against the mountains and forced to rise — are the primary snow producers for Colorado Springs. These events can drop 12 to 20 inches of snow in 24 hours. What makes them challenging to forecast is their sensitivity to storm track: a slight shift north or south can mean the difference between a major snowstorm and a near-miss. Mountain-influenced weather systems can also move faster than models predict, making early forecasts unreliable.
Colorado Springs spans elevations from under 5,800 feet in the east to over 7,500 feet in Broadmoor and the foothills. During a storm, higher neighborhoods can receive twice as much snow as lower-lying eastern areas like Falcon or Security-Widefield.
Upslope conditions are when the city sees its heaviest snowfalls. These storms arrive from the northeast, push moisture up the mountain slopes, and can produce rapid, intense accumulation that strains road clearing infrastructure.
Warm, dry Chinook winds off the mountains can melt several inches of snow in hours. This can work against closure decisions — a major storm may be followed immediately by warming that clears roads quickly, making the closure window narrow.
Colorado Springs sees frequent temperature swings around the freezing point. Melted snow refreezes overnight as black ice on residential streets, creating hazardous morning conditions even days after a storm ends.
Colorado Springs averages about 47 inches of snow per year. Like Denver, March is one of the snowiest months, and the snow season can extend from October through April. Snowfall distribution across the city is highly uneven: the Broadmoor area and neighborhoods against the foothills consistently receive more snow than the eastern plains communities of Falcon and Peyton. During major upslope events, Monument and Woodland Park to the north can see extreme totals while eastern El Paso County gets a fraction.
Colorado Springs temperatures swing dramatically between day and night and between storm and post-storm. A day that starts at 10°F with blowing snow can reach 40°F by afternoon as skies clear. The reverse is also common: a mild, wet snowfall in the 30s refreezes solid overnight, leaving morning roads glazed with ice even after precipitation has ended. Superintendents weigh overnight temperature forecasts heavily when deciding on closures for the following morning.
El Paso County’s six major school districts each make independent closure decisions. District superintendents monitor NWS forecasts, CDOT road reports, and their own transportation team’s field assessments through the night before a potential closure. Key factors: projected snowfall by neighborhood/elevation zone, overnight temperatures, road clearing status, and bus route safety. Most districts announce by 5:30–6:30 AM.
The largest district in El Paso County, serving central and south Colorado Springs. D11 makes centralized closure decisions communicated via its website, KKTV, KRDO, KOAA, and automated parent alerts.
Serves the Briargate and Northgate areas in northern Colorado Springs. D20 often sees more snow than southern parts of the city due to slightly higher elevation and storm track positioning, and sometimes closes when D11 remains open.
Cheyenne Mountain serves the Broadmoor area at the highest elevations in the metro, often seeing the most snow of any district. Harrison District 2 covers southern Colorado Springs and may see different storm impacts than the northern districts.
These east and southeast El Paso County districts sit at lower elevations and typically see less snowfall than the city. However, they cover large geographic areas with extensive rural bus routes, making road conditions the primary closure factor.
| Weather Factor | Low Impact | Moderate Impact | High Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snow Accumulation | Under 3" | 3–7" | 7"+ (closure likely) |
| Storm Timing | Afternoon / evening | Overnight into morning | Ongoing at school start |
| Ice / Freezing Roads | Trace amounts | Patchy black ice | Widespread glazing |
| Elevation Zone | Below 6,000 ft | 6,000–7,000 ft | Above 7,000 ft (foothills) |
| Wind & Drifting | Under 15 mph | 15–30 mph | 30+ mph (blowing snow) |
A weather forecast tells you expected snowfall and temperature. The Snow Day Calculator takes those inputs and translates them — factoring in elevation, storm timing, ice risk, and road conditions — into a school closure probability. In Colorado Springs, a 5-inch overnight storm at 20°F that ends before dawn carries a different probability than the same 5 inches arriving at 7 AM during morning drop-off. The calculator factors all of this in.
Broadmoor and foothills neighborhoods can get twice the snow of eastern Falcon during the same storm. Always use your specific ZIP code for the most accurate local prediction.
NWS upslope snow advisories for the Pikes Peak region are the strongest indicator of heavy snowfall for Colorado Springs. Our calculator weights active NWS alerts prominently.
Most El Paso County districts announce closures before 6:30 AM. Run the calculator the night before a storm to track the probability trend as the forecast sharpens.
Our calculator covers Colorado Springs and the surrounding El Paso County area, including: Manitou Springs, Fountain, Monument, Falcon, Peyton, Security-Widefield, Woodland Park, and Castle Rock. Enter any El Paso County ZIP code for a localized snow day prediction.