Retail WeatherIQ™ (Jan. 12-18, 2025 / NRF Retail Week 50)

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 1/20/24), the U.S. was coldest since 1984 and driest since 2021 but snowiest since 2019. 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:

• Warmer than LY for Most. Much of the U.S. will see warmer trend compared to last year, apart from the Southwest and Southeast. However, temperatures compared to normal will remain cold for most of the week.
• Snow in the North, Rainy South. Light snow will move across the North early in the week while showers move along the Gulf Coast. A late week storm will bring heavier precipitation at the end of the week.