El Niño Is Coming: What This Can Mean For Your Business
April 15, 2026
A meaningful climate shift is taking shape that could influence consumer demand through the rest of 2026. Forecasts increasingly point to El Niño developing this summer and strengthening into fall and winter. El Niño is a natural climate pattern characterized by warming of the surface temperatures of the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. El …
Easter Outlook from Planalytics
March 30, 2026
Some Bunny Ordered a Warm Start, Then Rain for Many for Easter Weekend Egg-Spect a Scramble in Consumer Trends as Weather Shifts Across Regions The Easter holiday remains a key driver of early spring retail performance. This year, Easter falls on Sunday, April 5, with U.S. consumers expected to spend a record $24.9 billion, according …
Spring’s Record Heat vs. Winter’s Return
March 9, 2026
From Record Heat to Late-Season Chill: Navigating Spring’s Demand Swings Spring is officially acting up. A dynamic weather pattern over the next two weeks presents a major opportunity for businesses to stay ahead of shifting demand. Here’s what to expect: This week: Much of the U.S. will see a massive warm-up. With record-breaking highs in …
Winter Loosens Its Grip as March Begins
March 2, 2026
A Spring in Our Step with Warmth on Deck After one of the coldest and snowiest winters in recent memory, a dramatic pattern shift is about to transform the consumer landscape. Starting this week, many across the U.S. will look forward to a wave of warm weather, with temperatures soaring 20+ degrees above seasonal norms. …
Valentine’s Day and Presidents’ Day Outlook
February 6, 2026
Roses Are Red, Skies Are Gray. Wintry Conditions for Most Leading into Valentine’s Day. Precipitation will impact holiday spending across regions Much of the eastern US has experienced several days of below normal, and in many cases below freezing conditions as of late. The bitter cold will continue this weekend, particularly in the Northeast where …
Six more weeks of winter
February 2, 2026
February 1, 2026 – February 7, 2026 (Retail Week 1/February Week 1) No Relief from the Cold in the East. Milder Air to Spread into the Northern Plains. Snow to Persist from the North Central to the East. Canada to Stay Split but Drier. Unrelenting Cold. The vicious cold snap will continue for most of the …
Arctic Outbreak & Major Winter Storm: Widespread Disruptions Expected Across Two-Thirds of the U.S.
January 20, 2026
Across the eastern two-thirds of the nation, frigid temperatures will drive a drop in commercial activity beginning this weekend, and those in the Southern and Eastern U.S. are also expected to see significant ice and snow from a major winter storm. Wintry weather as far south as the Gulf Coast will shift regional demand toward …
Super Saturday Forecast
December 16, 2025
Green Light! Retailers to Expect a Lift in Store Traffic Over Super Saturday with Drier and Milder Conditions for Most Super Saturday is a significant shopping event as it represents the last weekend before Christmas. This year, the National Retail Federation expects a record 159 million consumers to shop for the final gifts on their …
Retail WeatherSpend℠: November 2025
December 10, 2025
Eastern markets benefited from soaring seasonal demand due to colder temperatures, while milder conditions slowed sales in the West. The following WeatherSpend℠ metrics quantify the impact of weather on topline sales in different markets and retail sectors compared to November 2024. Most of the East had colder-than-LY comps in the first half of the month. …
Put a Bow on Cyber Monday and the Holiday Weekend
December 3, 2025
Per our friends at the National Retail Federation, there was a record 203 million shoppers over the holiday weekend, topping original estimates. While in-store shopper growth rose by 3%, the number of consumers shopping online rose by 9%. Check out Planalytics recap on the weekend. According to our partners at Facteus, e-commerce sales rose significantly …