St. Michael-Albertville schools, including the Catholic school, as well as ISD 728 (Elk River, Rogers, Otsego and Zimmerman), Monticello Public Schools and Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose have all declared a weather emergency for Friday, Jan. 23, 2026 as extreme, Arctic cold descends on the state.
While it could be worse – the same system is set to drop nearly a foot of snow from West Virginia through Kentucky and into the lower Midwest – it will be treacherous. Actual temperatures at 6 a.m. on Friday are expected to be about 20 degrees below zero, with “feels like” temps at minus 45, thanks to a slight wind from the north.
It’s enough to freeze skin in less than 5 minutes. Making it impossible for schools to put kids on buses (and those might not start, anyway, with diesel fuel turning to gel.).
ISD 728 will use an e-learning day for its students, as will Monticello Public Schools. STMA and Buffalo have each decided to close.
That’s tough news for students – who may be looking at make-up days of there are other winter events throughout the season. With snowfall usually arriving as late as March or April, districts may run out of learning days required, causing those districts to add classes in June.
Leave a Review or Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.