Retail WeatherSpend℠ Report: August 2025

The Commerce Department’s Census Bureau reported that August 2025 retail sales increased by +0.6% from July, and from a year-over-year perspective (vs August 2024), the jump was +5.0%.

Inflation certainly needs to be factored into the gains, as the report’s numbers are unadjusted. The weather must also be considered. For the U.S. overall, August 2025 was the coolest since 2017 and driest since 2013, although there were strong regional differences. Warmer comps in some western markets challenged back-to-school and early fall sales, while cooler temperatures across the East (and more rain in the South) helped fuel seasonal demand.

The following WeatherSpend examples quantify how much the weather, compared to August 2024, impacted topline sales in different markets and retail sectors.

Planalytics generates WeatherSpend metrics in partnership with Facteus, isolating the impact of the weather on spending for retail sectors and specific businesses. .

Contact Planalytics to learn more about how weather analytics can help your business.