A lot goes into determining whether a school will stay open or closed due to weather conditions, and sometimes, officials get it wrong.

Earlier this week schools in the metro region were closed due to a pending storm, but in the end, the predicted heavy snowfall never came.

That happens sometimes, says Terry Hall, Assistant Deputy Minister of Education in charge of the Educational Operations Branch.

Officials know the weather sometimes fools the best of forecasters but they try to err on the side of caution when deciding whether or not to close schools

The department relies on the environmental firm Wood, and they get frequent updates up to and including the early morning of each school day.

Then they look at snowfall, whether it’s already started, and what amounts are expected to be over the course of a day. They also take wind into consideration to determine what visibility might be like when students and staff are on the road.

Hall says it’s not unusual for them to get calls from frustrated parents when the forecast doesn’t pan out as expected.

“I get it” says Hall, but officials have to make their decisions on the best information they have available.