Sherbrooke · Quebec · 2026–27 season
Snow Day Predictor SherbrookeWill school be cancelled tomorrow in Sherbrooke?
Live overnight forecast for the City of Sherbrooke, Lennoxville, Fleurimont, Rock Forest, and the surrounding Estrie communities. The predictor tunes to CSS de la Région-de-Sherbrooke, CSS des Sommets, CSS des Hauts-Cantons, and Eastern Townships School Board closure patterns across the Appalachian foothill snowbelt.
Multi-model forecast, five-factor closure engine, province-aware results. No sign-up, no tracking of your queries.
What makes Sherbrooke unique
Sherbrooke is the largest city in Quebec's Eastern Townships and the heart of the Estrie snowbelt. The Appalachian foothills create localized heavy snowfall and cold patterns separate from the St. Lawrence valley further north.
Estrie (Eastern Townships) forecast
Sherbrooke snow day forecast, what to expect this winter
Sherbrooke sits at the confluence of the Saint-François and Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie region, with the Appalachian foothills rising on every side. The city averages around 285 cm of snow per season, well above Montreal and roughly on par with Quebec City, but the distribution is what makes the Eastern Townships distinct. Forced ascent over the Appalachians enhances snowfall on the windward slopes, and Sherbrooke often picks up an extra 5 to 15 cm on storms that the St. Lawrence valley sees as moderate events. The seasonal range runs from 220 cm in milder winters to over 350 cm when the Atlantic storm track stays active through March.
School operations across greater Sherbrooke and the wider Eastern Townships are run by four boards. The Centre de services scolaire de la Région-de-Sherbrooke serves the urban core, including Fleurimont, Rock Forest, Lennoxville, and the Université de Sherbrooke neighbourhoods. CSS des Sommets covers the rural northern Eastern Townships, including Magog, Asbestos (Val-des-Sources), and the Memphrémagog corridor. CSS des Hauts-Cantons runs the southeastern Townships down to the Vermont and New Hampshire borders, including Coaticook and East Angus. The Eastern Townships School Board (ETSB) is the English-language board for the entire region, with schools in Sherbrooke, Lennoxville, Magog, Cowansville, and Stanstead. Each network contracts its own bus operators and makes its own closure call, usually announced by 6:00 am the morning of.
For Sherbrooke families, the practical question splits along two lines. Closures in Sherbrooke proper tend to happen on bigger events, 20 cm or more, freezing-rain accumulations above 5 mm, or wind chills near minus 35 degrees Celsius, while the rural CSS des Sommets and CSS des Hauts-Cantons close more readily because their bus routes climb foothill roads where 10 to 15 cm becomes a safety issue quickly. The ETSB serves the same geography but on different routing, so an ETSB call can land separately from the French CSS on the same morning. Our forecast pulls hourly data at your exact coordinates and returns probabilities tuned to each network so you can see where the call is likely to fall.
School boards
Sherbrooke school boards we model
The boards and transportation operators that make the morning closure call for Sherbrooke.
- Centre de services scolaire de la Région-de-Sherbrooke
Central French CSS serving the City of Sherbrooke, including Fleurimont, Lennoxville, Rock Forest, and Bromptonville. The largest urban network in the Estrie region.
- Centre de services scolaire des Sommets
Rural French CSS covering the northern Eastern Townships from Magog east through Asbestos (Val-des-Sources) and Windsor. Foothill roads make this network more closure-prone than central Sherbrooke.
- Centre de services scolaire des Hauts-Cantons
French CSS serving the southeastern Eastern Townships, including Coaticook, East Angus, La Patrie, and the Vermont border communities.
- Eastern Townships School Board (ETSB)
English-language board covering the entire Eastern Townships region, with schools in Sherbrooke, Lennoxville, Magog, Cowansville, and Stanstead. Operates separate bus routes from the French CSS.
Bus transportation
Each Eastern Townships CSS and the ETSB contract their own bus operators across the Estrie region. Closure decisions are typically called by 6:00 am for each network independently, meaning CSS de la Région-de-Sherbrooke, CSS des Sommets, CSS des Hauts-Cantons, and ETSB can each make a different call on the same storm. Announcements appear on each board's website and social channels, and on regional radio (Énergie Estrie, Rouge FM Estrie, ICI Radio-Canada Estrie).
Local weather
Sherbrooke’s signature winter weather patterns
The phenomena that produce most Sherbrooke snow days.
- Appalachian foothill snowfall enhancement
When easterly or southeasterly flow pushes moist air against the Appalachian foothills, forced ascent enhances snowfall over Sherbrooke and the surrounding Townships. The Estrie snowbelt regularly receives 5 to 15 cm more than Montreal on the same storm system, with the heaviest enhancement on the windward slopes of Mont Mégantic, Mont Orford, and the Sutton range.
- Continental cold from the Eastern Townships interior
Sherbrooke sits in a valley between Appalachian ridges, which traps cold air under high pressure. Overnight lows reach minus 30 degrees Celsius several times each winter, often colder than Montreal on the same night despite similar latitude. Wind chill near minus 35 is a common closure trigger for the rural CSS networks.
- Mount Orford and surrounding mountain influence
Mont Orford (853 m) and the Sutton range to the west create orographic lift that concentrates snowfall on the Magog and Bromont side of the region. Storms tracking up the St. Lawrence valley can drop double the snowfall on the Orford slopes compared to downtown Sherbrooke just 30 km east.
- Freezing-rain branch from the St. Lawrence corridor
When warm air aloft pushes north up the St. Lawrence valley and meets cold continental air pooled in the Townships, freezing rain falls along a narrow corridor that often passes directly through Sherbrooke. The Townships were among the hardest-hit areas in the January 1998 Great Ice Storm.
- Spring late-season storms
Sherbrooke routinely sees significant snowfall into early April, and 10 to 20 cm storms in the first two weeks of April are common. The combination of elevation and the cold pool retained in the foothills extends the snow day risk weeks past Montreal's typical end-of-season.
History
Notable Sherbrooke snow days in recent winters
Storms and ice events that shaped how Sherbrooke school boards approach the morning call.
Great Ice Storm
January 5-10, 1998The Eastern Townships were among the hardest-hit regions in the January 1998 ice storm, with up to 100 mm of freezing rain accumulating over five days. Power was out across most of the Estrie region for weeks, and schools in all Townships boards (then the predecessor commissions to the current CSS) remained closed well into the third week of January. The defining modern weather event for Sherbrooke and the wider region.
March 2017 Quebec storm
March 8, 2017A powerful nor'easter dropped 38 cm of snow on the Eastern Townships with sustained winds gusting to 70 km/h. CSS de la Région-de-Sherbrooke, CSS des Sommets, CSS des Hauts-Cantons, and ETSB all closed, and Highway 10 between Sherbrooke and Montreal was shut for several hours.
January 2022 Quebec winter storm
January 17, 2022A major Colorado low tracked up the St. Lawrence and pulled heavy snow into the Eastern Townships, with 30 to 40 cm reported across the region and blizzard conditions on the foothill highways. All four Sherbrooke-area school networks closed, and Université de Sherbrooke suspended in-person classes.
February 2019 polar vortex
January 30-31, 2019A polar vortex displacement dropped overnight temperatures to minus 36 degrees Celsius in Sherbrooke with wind chills near minus 47. CSS de la Région-de-Sherbrooke and the rural Eastern Townships boards closed for cold rather than snow, a less common but recurring Estrie closure trigger.
Pre-Christmas storm
December 23, 2022A pre-Christmas system delivered 25 cm of snow followed by a sharp temperature drop and 90 km/h winds across the Eastern Townships. CSS de la Région-de-Sherbrooke and CSS des Sommets closed on the last school day before the holiday break, and Highway 55 north of Sherbrooke was closed for whiteout conditions.
February 2008 Townships storm
February 13, 2008A classic Appalachian-enhanced event piled 45 cm on Sherbrooke and the Mont Orford slopes in a single overnight period. Bus operators for all four boards cancelled routes by 5:30 am, and provincial highway closures isolated several rural Estrie communities for most of the day.
FAQ
Sherbrooke snow day frequently asked questions
The 7 questions Sherbrooke parents and teachers ask us most.
Will CSS de la Région-de-Sherbrooke close tomorrow?
Type your Sherbrooke postal code or "Sherbrooke, Quebec" into the predictor above. The Centre de services scolaire de la Région-de-Sherbrooke covers the City of Sherbrooke including Fleurimont, Lennoxville, and Rock Forest. The CSS typically announces closures by 6:00 am the morning of, and the threshold for a closure in central Sherbrooke is higher than in the rural Eastern Townships CSS networks because urban roads are plowed faster.
Will ETSB English schools close with the French CSS?
Not always. The Eastern Townships School Board operates its own bus routes across the entire Estrie region and makes a separate closure decision from CSS de la Région-de-Sherbrooke, CSS des Sommets, and CSS des Hauts-Cantons. On many borderline storms the ETSB call lands differently from the French boards because ETSB routes cover a wider rural footprint per school. Our predictor returns a probability for each network.
Why is Sherbrooke colder than Montreal in winter?
Sherbrooke sits in a valley between Appalachian ridges that traps cold air under high pressure, and the city is also farther inland from the moderating influence of the St. Lawrence River. Overnight lows in Sherbrooke regularly run 5 to 8 degrees colder than Montreal on the same night, and wind chill events near minus 35 are a more frequent closure trigger in the Eastern Townships than in the St. Lawrence valley.
Will school be cancelled in Magog or Lennoxville tomorrow?
Lennoxville is served by CSS de la Région-de-Sherbrooke and shares closure decisions with central Sherbrooke. Magog is in CSS des Sommets territory and often closes on storms that leave Sherbrooke open, because the Mont Orford slopes around Magog enhance snowfall and the rural bus routes climb foothill roads. The Eastern Townships School Board operates schools in both communities and may make a separate call. Enter your specific postal code in the predictor.
Does CSS des Sommets rural close with Sherbrooke?
Often, but not always. CSS des Sommets covers the rural northern Eastern Townships from Magog east through Asbestos (Val-des-Sources) and Windsor, where foothill roads, lower plowing frequency, and longer bus routes mean closures happen on smaller events than in central Sherbrooke. On a 10 to 15 cm overnight storm CSS des Sommets may close while CSS de la Région-de-Sherbrooke keeps schools open.
How does Mount Orford affect Sherbrooke area snowfall?
Mont Orford rises to 853 metres and forces ascent on any easterly or southeasterly flow, concentrating snowfall on the Magog and Bromont side of the region. The Mont Orford area regularly receives double the snowfall of downtown Sherbrooke just 30 km east on the same storm. This is why the predictor uses your exact coordinates rather than a regional average, the Orford slopes can be in whiteout while Sherbrooke sees moderate snow.
How does the Appalachian foothills snowbelt work for Sherbrooke?
Moist air pushed against the Appalachian foothills is forced to rise, cool, and drop precipitation as snow on the windward slopes. The Estrie snowbelt covers Sherbrooke, Magog, Orford, the Sutton range, and the southeastern Townships down to the Vermont border. The result is that Sherbrooke regularly picks up 5 to 15 cm more than Montreal on the same storm, and seasonal totals around 285 cm are typical, well above the St. Lawrence valley average.
Near Sherbrooke
Nearby Quebec cities
Other Quebec cities our forecast covers — same regional profile, different local weather.
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