Honestly, if you’re a parent in Philadelphia, you've probably spent half your winter mornings staring at your phone waiting for that "Robocall of Destiny" from the District. It's the same routine every time the sky looks a little grey: checking the news, refreshing the District's Twitter (yeah, I’m still calling it that), and wondering if you need to find a last-minute sitter or if you’re trekking to the bus stop in the slush.
Right now, everyone is asking the same thing: are philly schools closed tomorrow?
The short answer for Sunday, January 18, 2026, is a bit of a mixed bag depending on why you’re asking. Since tomorrow is a Sunday, buildings are obviously closed for the weekend, but the real question is what happens when Monday rolls around.
The MLK Day Factor: Why doors stay locked on Monday
If you were looking for a regular school day on Monday, January 19, 2026, you're out of luck. All School District of Philadelphia (SDP) schools and administrative offices are officially closed on Monday in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
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This isn't just a day off for the kids to play video games. The District usually frames this as a "day of service," and there are usually a ton of events at places like Smith Memorial Playground or local community centers. So, while the "snow day" drama might be what's on your mind, the calendar already had this one marked in red.
That pesky Sunday snow shower forecast
Kinda feels like winter finally decided to show up, doesn't it? According to the latest data from Google Weather, we’re looking at snow showers for Sunday, January 18.
Here is the breakdown of what the sky is doing while you're trying to prep for the week:
- Daytime: High of 34°F with a 35% chance of snow showers.
- Nighttime: Low of 22°F, turning partly cloudy.
- Precipitation: It’s not a "Snowmageddon" situation—we’re looking at about a 20-35% chance overall.
- Wind: Chilly northwest gusts around 5 mph.
With a high of 34°F, a lot of that "snow" might just turn into that lovely Philadelphia grey slush we all know and love. But the real concern is that overnight drop to 22°F. Any water on the ground is going to turn into a skating rink by Monday morning.
The "New" Snow Day Rules (Remote Learning is the Grinch)
Remember the good old days when a snow day meant a total shutdown? Tony B. Watlington Sr. and the current administration have changed the game a bit. Basically, the District now tries to pivot to remote learning instead of losing a full instructional day.
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They usually have one "banked" snow day in the calendar (for 2025-2026, they usually keep one extra day above the 180-day state requirement). Once that’s used, it’s Chromebook city.
Pro Tip: If the forecast looks even remotely sketchy, make sure your kid actually brings their Chromebook home on Friday. There’s nothing worse than a 7:00 AM announcement for remote learning when the laptop is sitting in a locker at Masterman or Central.
How the District actually makes the call
It's not just some guy looking out the window at 440 North Broad. It’s a whole "Communication and Coordination (C2) Center" situation.
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- The Recon: Teams literally drive around the city at 3:00 AM to see if the buses (and those old SEPTA Regional Rail cars) can actually move.
- The Meeting: By 3:45 AM, the Emergency Response Team is on a conference call.
- The Decision: The Superintendent finalizes the call by 4:00 AM.
- The Blast: If they’re on top of it, the "communications cascade" (emails, texts, and news alerts) hits by 4:45 AM.
Sometimes they’re proactive and call it the night before (by 9:00 PM), but they usually prefer to wait and see if the plows can keep up. Given that Monday is a holiday anyway, the District's facilities team will likely spend Sunday and Monday clearing the "District properties" so everything is ready for Tuesday.
What about SEPTA?
SEPTA is actually doing okay lately. They just restored all those morning express trips on the Regional Rail lines on January 12th because they finally fixed enough of those 50-year-old Silverliner IV cars.
However, if the ice gets bad on Sunday night, expect the usual suspects—routes like the 9, 27, and those hilly routes in Manayunk—to go on detour. SEPTA usually runs "pilot trains" overnight when it freezes to keep the overhead wires from icing up.
Actionable Next Steps for Philly Parents
Don't just sit there refreshing your feed. Do these three things right now:
- Check the "System Status": Go to the SDP website or follow the official @PHLschools account. If there’s a change for Tuesday (the day after the holiday), they’ll start hinting at it by Monday evening.
- Charge the Tech: Even if it's a holiday, make sure those Chromebooks aren't dead. If ice knocks out power or lingers into Tuesday, you might be looking at a virtual day.
- Confirm Your Alerts: If you didn't get the last weather text from the District, your contact info is probably wrong in the Infinite Campus portal. Get that fixed before the next real blizzard hits.
Bottom line? Schools are definitely "closed" tomorrow because it's Sunday, and they are definitely closed Monday for MLK Day. Beyond that, keep an eye on those freezing temperatures Sunday night—it's going to be a slick one.