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All 50 States and Canada Have Snow On The Ground

Historic Storms Keep Consumers In A Winter Mindset And Have Significant Economic Impact

Following this week’s record breaking storms, all of the 50 United States (yes, even Florida and Hawaii) have snow on the ground.  You’ll likely have to go back 30+ years to find such a statistic.

Some notable takeaways for this week’s record breaking storms:

·        Currently, there is snow on the ground in all 50 states and every Canadian province.

·        It is estimated that between one-third and one-half of all North Americans experienced snowfall in the last week.

·        Up to 20,000 flights in the U.S. were cancelled this week, impacting approximately 2 million people.  Conservatively estimating that each person spends $100 per flight, this amounts to a $200,000,000 impact.

·        Dallas received over 11 inches of snow on Thursday February 11– the most for any date in city history. 

·        With two major snowstorms in the last seven days, several locations have set their all time mark for snowfall in a winter season:

City                       Season To Date (Inches)          Normal Season (October-March)

Baltimore*               79.9”                                        22”                  

Philadelphia*           72.1”                                        23”

Pittsburgh               57.8”                                        43”

Washington, DC*     55.9”                                        22”

Chicago                  45.3”                                        37”

Dallas                     15.7”                                        3”

*All time record for most snowfall in one winter season.     

·        1,200 daily snowfall records were set over the past week.  Some notables:

o       Chicago set a daily record when 12.6 inches fell on February 9 – shattering the old record set in 1885.

o       Detroit set a daily record when 6.5 inches fell on February 9 – shattering the old record set in 1886.

o       Pittsburgh received 5.2 inches of snow on February 10 – setting a new record and making this the 6^th snowiest month ever in city history.

o       Baltimore, Washington, DC and Philadelphia each set numerous daily snowfall records throughout the past week.

·        Including last week’s snowfall and heavy rain events, the retail year is off to its snowiest and wettest start in over 12 years. 

What Does This Mean For Businesses Selling Seasonal Products?
(request a complimentary product analysis from Planalytics)

More On The Way?
While retailers and restaurants attempt to recover some lost business over the important Valentine’s Day and President’s Day holiday, there is more wintry weather to contend with.  As the weekend progresses, many locations in the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley will see moderate snow.  This system will push south and east and reach the east coast by Monday evening and result in measurable snow for coastal cities by the early portions of next week -- including Washington and Philadelphia.  While amounts will be much lower than recent (historic) storms, these will add to the record season and serve to keep consumers in a winter mindset and putting a hold on Spring purchasing.