Planalytics Weather Alert: Major Winter Storm Shaping Up for Christmas Week 2009

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Increasing Potential For Traffic Limiting Winter Storm Through Christmas Week

Wintry Precipitation Likely For Some, Cold Certain For Most

The upcoming weekend (December 19-20) will see a wintry mix in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast. Snow is expected up the Atlantic seaboard into New York & Boston, with the heaviest amounts of snow anticipated in Mid-Atlantic region from Richmond, VA up to Baltimore and Philadelphia. Subsequent to this storm, the eastern half of North America is anticipated to experience significant weather over the final few days leading up to, and beyond, Christmas Day.

Early to mid week (December 21-23) the front range of the Rockies eastward to the central and southern Plains will experience snow, rain and wintry mix potentially to include icy conditions. As with most storms, the exact times and path are unclear this far in advance; however, the impacted areas are likely to include portions of Texas north into Illinois and Indiana.

Mid to late week (December 23-27), there is increasing confidence of a major winter storm to include significant snowfall in many cities in eastern North America. Specific timing of this event is still shaping up, but current indications are that the Midwest will experience heavy snow. As the storm moves east, major cities in the I-95 corridor (New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, DC) should expect traffic limiting weather to include snow, ice, and rain. Late week (post-Christmas), the storm will head into the major cities in the St. Lawrence Valley and into the Canadian Maritimes. As the storm moves through, it will leave significantly cold air in its wake which will spread south all the way to Florida.

While the focus of this event is in the east, note that western portions of the U.S. and Canada will remain seasonal and dry with relatively tranquil conditions through the Christmas week.

Businesses in the eastern half of North America should plan for traffic disruptions in the final days leading up to Christmas AND through the all-important post-Christmas weekend. As Christmas falls on a Friday this year, the post-Christmas weekend has increased importance to seasonal sales. While shoppers may have trouble getting to stores during this period, expect need-driven purchases of snow and ice removal products and heavyweight outerwear and winter boots to surge. As the cold air filters in behind the storm, products such as sweaters, portable heaters, firelogs, scarves/hats/gloves will continue to enjoy strong demand.