How we collect data

Every status on this site comes from an official source: a county sheriff's page, a state travel status map, or the National Weather Service. We never copy statuses from news sites or social media.

How often we check

We read each source every 30 minutes. When the National Weather Service has a winter alert anywhere in a state, we check that state's sources every 5 minutes. Weather alerts are read every 5 minutes for the whole country.

When a source cannot be reached

If our last successful check is more than 90 minutes old during a storm, or more than 6 hours old in calm weather, the page says "Status unknown" and points to the official source. We never show an old status as if it were current. If an official page changes its layout, our system reports an error instead of guessing.

How we read levels

We keep the official wording exactly as published and add a common scale (none, 1, 2, 3) to sort and color the statuses. Colors always come with a text label. When the wording is unclear, we show the status as unknown. A level lowered only because a notice disappeared from a page is confirmed by a second check before we show it.

History

We record every change. When an official source publishes its own history of past declarations, as the Muskingum County Sheriff's Office does, we include it and say so on the county page.

Corrections

If you see an error, write to contact@snowemergencylevels.com with the county and the time. We check it against the official source and correct it as soon as possible.

Sources by county