Retail WeatherIQ™ (Dec. 22-28, 2024 / NRF Retail Week 47)

Weather volatility is the most impactful climate-related risk consumer businesses face and it is constantly changing to create new opportunities and challenges.  WeatherIQ™ is a collaboration between Planalytics and the National Retail Federation (NRF) that provides weekly weather impact outlooks for select product categories or retail segments compared with the prior year. 

Last Year (week-ending 12/30/23), the U.S. was warmest since 2005 and wettest since 2020 with the least snow in the past 60+ years. Below are some favorable and unfavorable weather-driven demand impacts for the week. NRF members can view additional metro-level insights along with year-over-year weather variance maps.

Weather summary for the week:

• Transitioning to Warmer Conditions. Cold temperatures will persist along the East Coast and Mid-Atlantic for most of the week, gradually warming each day. Western regions will remain on a warming trend, warmer than LY throughout the week.
• Active West, Scatter East. The Pacific Northwest will see multiple rounds of showers and high elevation snow this week. Christmas Day and beyond will bring active weather to eastern regions.
• Christmas Outlook: The central U.S. will be warmer than LY, while both coasts trend colder. Expect wetter conditions in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, with drier weather in central areas. In Canada, major markets will be colder than LY, with snow and rain in the west and east.
• Transitioning to Warmer Conditions. The week starts cold in the East and warm in the West, transitioning to widespread warmth by week’s end. The West will see intermittent snow showers, while central regions dry out.