COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Monday, Jan. 20 has a full schedule, especially for those in central Ohio.
Schools and other organizations will close Monday to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day, former Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio will be sworn in as vice president, and Ohio State will play Notre Dame in Atlanta for college football’s national championship.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m., so the game isn’t expected to end until sometime after 11. Among the fans sacrificing their Tuesday mornings to cheer on their team, enthusiastic young Buckeyes may be asking to stay up late and see if Ohio State will clinch its ninth national championship.
Luckily for some students, classes on Tuesday have already been canceled in some central Ohio districts, and the cold weather could play a factor in letting students catch up on sleep the next morning.
Central Ohio school districts without school Jan. 21
- Columbus City Schools: CCS will be closed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. CCS is scheduled for a professional development day for staff on Tuesday, as well as a records day on Wednesday, giving students the first three days of the week off.
- New Albany-Plain Local Schools: New Albany-Plain has a professional development day for teachers scheduled next Tuesday, giving students Monday and Tuesday off.
- South-Western City School District: SWCSD scheduled a professional day for Jan. 21, so students will not attend school Monday or Tuesday.
Central Ohio school districts with school in session Jan. 21
Although the following school districts in Franklin County will be closed on Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, they are not scheduled to be closed on Tuesday.
- Bexley City Schools
- Canal Winchester Local Schools
- Dublin Schools
- Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools
- Grandview Heights Schools
- Groveport Madison Schools
- Hilliard City Schools
- Madison-Plains Local School District
- Marysville Schools
- Olentangy Schools
- Pickerington Local School District
- Reynoldsburg City Schools
- Upper Arlington Schools: However, students will have early dismissal — 1 p.m. for elementary students, 1:30 p.m. for older students — on Wednesday.
- Westerville City Schools
- Whitehall City Schools
- Worthington City Schools
What about wind chill?
Tuesday will be cold. With a high of 10 degrees, young OSU fans may be following superstition and sleeping with spoons under their pillows or placing crayons in the freezer, hoping the weather will help them convince their parents that they can stay up late.
School districts generally said they base closures due to cold weather on the National Weather Service’s wind chill chart. Districts frequently said there is no set temperature for closures, as different outlets may report different temperatures, but ambient temperature and wind chill are factors in considering if students can walk or wait for a bus to attend school.
According to the National Weather Service, wind chill is based on the rate of heat loss from exposed skin. As wind increases, it draws heat from the body, driving down skin and, eventually, internal temperatures. Wind can make it feel much colder; the National Weather Service said if the temperature is zero degrees but winds are blowing at 15 mph, the wind chill is -19. At this temperature, skin can freeze in 30 minutes.
This goes both ways, and many schools said depending on wind chill, temperatures can be below zero and schools can remain open. The following districts do not give a temperature as guidance for when to be aware, although most direct to the chart above.
- Dublin City Schools
- South-Western City School District
- Grandview Heights
- Canal Winchester
- Columbus City Schools
- Pickerington Local School District
- Hilliard City Schools
- Whitehall City Schools
- Marysville Schools
Other districts give some guidance for temperature and wind chill closures, although these temperatures do not guarantee a closure. Rather, districts publish them as insight into when families should be looking out for possible closures.
- Bexley City Schools: Policy generally closes schools when the temperature is -15 degrees or hits a sustained wind chill of -22 or lower.
- Groveport Madison Schools: Closures will be considered if the ambient temperature falls below zero or if the wind chill factor approaches -10.
- New Albany-Plain Local Schools: Parents should monitor media outlets and the district website closely when wind chill factors approach -25.
- Olentangy Schools: Olentangy will consider delaying or canceling school if wind chill is lower than -10 to -15.
- Reynoldsburg City Schools: Consider closures if temperatures reach between -15 to -20.
- Upper Arlington Schools: Upper Arlington generally considers closing schools when the sustained wind chill is around -22.
- Westerville City Schools: Westerville schools give special consideration when wind chill will be -15 during key walking and waiting-for-bus times.
- Worthington City Schools: Worthington said any wind chill below -20 may force a delay or cancellation.
NBC4 will publish up-to-date school closures and weather information. Follow along on channel 4 or here on NBC4i.com.