Despite Winter Storm Bruce canceling flights across the Midwest and threatening to extend the Thanksgiving holiday by at least a day, school buses largely continued motoring as they transported students to and from school.
The National Weather Service said a front that dropped a foot of snow fell across parts of the Mississippi Valley and the Upper Great Lakes regions would continue to affect parts of New England through Tuesday. “Well below normal” temperatures were also expected to continue across the Midwest.
NWS added that the Central Plains to the central Appalachians could see temperatures 20- to 30-degrees below the average for this time of year, while six to 12 inches of snow is possible for upstate New York to northern Maine, with over 10 inches of snow expected for the Lake Erie and Lake Ontario regions.
Related: Browse School Bus Idling Regulations Across the U.S.
Unless school is canceled in these areas, student transporters face challenges when starting buses at 5 a.m. for morning routes as well as navigating snowy and icy roads.
Dozens of Chicagoland school districts were closed on Monday, but the largest of them remained open. Chicago Public Schools tweeted early Sunday evening that it and the city were closely monitoring the weather but that classes would be held. At this report, schools were also scheduled to be open on Tuesday.
Iowa schools remained largely open on Monday despite temperatures in the teens. Max Christensen, the state director of transportation at the Iowa Department of Transportation, said local districts set policy on idling limits, though he added that most idle for about 15 minutes prior to route start time.
What weather-related challenges are you facing at your school district or bus company?
