Cincinnati Schools Close As Winter Storm Hits Region

As the sun crept toward the horizon on the morning of February 3, 2026, Greater Cincinnati woke to a familiar but unwelcome sight: swirling flakes of snow and the unmistakable buzz of school closure alerts. By sunrise, the region was firmly under a Winter Weather Advisory, and the landscape—usually abuzz with school buses and morning routines—was eerily quiet.

According to Fox 19 and WXIX, nearly every major school district in the area, including Cincinnati Public Schools and Lakota, made the call to shut down for the day. The closures weren’t limited to the city’s core. Boone County Schools in Northern Kentucky, Batavia Local, Covington Independent Public, Erlanger-Elsmere Independent, Fairfield City/Butler County, Forest Hills, Goshen Local, Loveland City, Lebanon City, Sycamore Schools, and more either closed outright or pivoted to remote learning, as did Campbell and Kenton counties, which opted for a nontraditional learning day (NTI).

The National Weather Service in Wilmington had already sounded the alarm: a Winter Weather Advisory would be in effect from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m., blanketing much of the region in caution. The forecast called for snow to develop and spread into the area Tuesday morning, intensifying through midday before tapering off by late afternoon or early evening. "Plan on slippery road conditions," the weather service warned, a message echoed by every local broadcaster and meteorologist in the city.

Chief Meteorologist Kevin Robinson, speaking on WLWT, painted a vivid picture of the day ahead. "The morning commute tomorrow likely to be impacted to some extent by falling snow in the morning," he explained, noting that the steadiest snow would fall from mid-morning into the early afternoon. "We do anticipate snow covered roads around here—1 to 3 inches for most of us. But there will be a corridor that sees slightly heavier amounts that we continue to try to kind of really narrow in on."

Robinson’s forecast was clear: snow would begin as a light dusting around 7 a.m., just as parents and children would typically be heading out the door. The snow would quickly pick up in intensity, with the heaviest bands striking mid-morning through early afternoon. "If you start your commute earlier, you start the less likely you are to be impacted by snow. But the later in the commute you wait, the more likely you are to be impacted," he advised. By 9 a.m., roads across the metro area could already be snow-covered, and the snow would continue at a decent clip through lunchtime before tapering off after 3 or 4 p.m.

WXIX’s weather team concurred, adding that anywhere from 1 to 3 inches of snow was expected across the region, with the highest amounts likely south and southeast of downtown Cincinnati—in Northern Kentucky and Clermont County. In some places, particularly east of Cincinnati and along the Ohio River, Robinson noted that 3 to 5 inches could fall where heavy snow bands set up. The snow, while not historic in scale, was more than enough to grind the city’s usual routines to a halt.

The impact was immediate and widespread. Parents scrambled to adjust plans. For some, it meant a day of juggling remote work and remote learning. For others, it was a rare snow day—a chance for kids to bundle up and head outside, even as the temperatures hovered in the upper 20s to around 30 degrees Fahrenheit. The overnight low leading into February 3 was a chilly 24 degrees, and the high for the day would only reach about 29 or 30. After the snow, the cold would deepen, with temperatures expected to crash to the lower teens, setting the stage for a frigid end to the week.

The roads, as predicted, became treacherous as the morning wore on. Steady snowfall reduced visibility and created slick driving conditions, especially during the afternoon and evening commute. Local authorities urged residents to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary. "Snow covered roads will be possible," the National Weather Service cautioned, and by midday, that warning had become reality on side streets and highways alike.

School officials across Greater Cincinnati were quick to act, announcing closures and remote learning plans well before the first flakes began to fall. Cincinnati Public Schools communicated their closure early Tuesday morning, giving families as much time as possible to adjust. Boone County, Campbell, and Kenton counties followed suit, with the latter two opting for NTI days—no preschool, but remote learning for K-12 students.

For many districts, the decision to close was as much about student and staff safety as it was about the forecast itself. Past experience has taught administrators that even a few inches of snow can create chaos on hilly, winding roads throughout the region. And with temperatures expected to plummet after the storm, the risk of lingering ice was another factor in the day’s widespread shutdowns.

According to the Enquirer and Fox 19, the list of affected schools was long and growing as the morning unfolded. Some districts, like Covington Independent Public Schools, required staff to report even as students stayed home. Others, such as Batavia Local and Loveland City, closed outright. The move to remote learning—once a pandemic-era novelty—has now become a go-to strategy for districts facing sudden weather disruptions, allowing education to continue even as snow piles up outside.

Throughout the day, local media outlets provided frequent updates. The National Weather Service’s advisory covered not just Cincinnati but also portions of southeast Indiana, northeast and northern Kentucky, and central, south central, and southwest Ohio. The heaviest snow was expected in a corridor stretching from the metro area down along the Ohio River and eastward, with some communities bracing for totals at the higher end of the forecast range.

As the afternoon wore on and the snow began to taper, forecasters looked ahead to the next challenge: a fresh batch of cold air set to settle in behind the departing storm. "Here’s your seven day forecast," Robinson said, "Behind the snow comes a fresh batch of cold air to take us through the end of the week. Maybe above freezing briefly there on Friday, only to see those temperatures likely come back down." For Cincinnati, the pattern was all too familiar—snow, followed by a deep freeze, and the promise of more winter to come.

By evening, the city was quiet once again, save for the scrape of shovels and the distant hum of snow plows. The day’s events served as a reminder of the region’s vulnerability to even moderate winter storms and the value of swift, coordinated action by schools and local officials. For now, students could enjoy a rare break from the classroom, while parents and teachers adjusted to a new normal that, for better or worse, includes snow days spent at home—sometimes in pajamas, sometimes in front of a laptop, but always with one eye on the forecast.