The weather could make or break your business this St. Patrick’s Day

Retail businesses and restaurants across the U.S. depend on St. Patrick’s Day for a bump in sales and revenue. This year, 61% of consumers plan to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, up from 54% in 2022 and the highest in history, according to the National Retail Association. Believe it or not, the weather plays a big part in the day's success for these businesses. AccuWeather For Business can help your business be better prepared and plan ahead by providing the most advanced and accurate forecasts. 

Nicer, milder weather brings out more people celebrating, and foot traffic will increase at stores and restaurants. Colder temperatures bring out fewer consumers, especially if rain or snow is in the forecast. Bad weather can also impact business operations. Snowstorms may make it harder for people to get to work, with heavy snow causing road closures and power outages. Heavy rains could cause flooding, which could cause a loss of inventory. 

On March 12-14, 1993, a massive system, now called the "Storm of the Century," brought feet of snow, heavy rain, coastal flooding, tornadoes, and dangerous winds up the East Coast. Communities canceled their St. Patrick's Day celebrations, and businesses were forced to shut down as streets and roads became impassable. The storm caused approximately $5.5 billion in damages. 

Businesses should take steps to mitigate risks and have emergency plans for bad weather. These could include having extra staff on standby if employees can’t get to work. You should also have a backup generator to handle power outages. You could also offer some indoor activities to bring in more customers who might be on the fence about heading out in poor conditions. 

AccuWeather For Business delivers the most accurate data, so your business will operate efficiently, avoid unnecessary risks, and get actionable insights to make the best decisions. We have the most complete and detailed high-resolution historical weather and environmental database available anywhere in the world. Data-driven businesses correlate weather conditions to business performance and then use forecast data to predict—with tremendous accuracy—the likely impact of weather on future sales and operations. 

“AccuWeather provides us with valuable opportunities regarding our point-in-time immediate consumable product offering, as well as making actionable, cost-saving, or even revenue-generating decisions based on our grasp of the correlation between retail and weather,” said Kenneth Butler, Data Engineer for QuikTrip.

See for it yourself. Contact us today to schedule a meeting to discuss how our historical data can help you.

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