Weather Trends: March 2014

WTI expects March 2014 to trend similar in temperature to last year and below normal for the U.S. as a whole. The month starts out with cold, possibly record-breaking, in the North along with some potentially snowy and/or icy weather as a storm system moves through. Colder trends linger into the second week of the month, but toward St.Patrick’s day, temperatures look to take a turn toward trending warmer than last year. Unfortunately, following a lousy March for spring categories in 2013, this year will be similar temperature-wise across much of the North with some improvement arriving toward the mid to latter half of the month. In the West, temperatures will trend cooler than last year but still near or above normal. Like last year, this year is expected to be snowier than normal with much of the East seeing similar amounts to last year and the Mountain West will see a significant boost in snowfall, especially in weeks two, four and five. Overall, spring categories, like apparel and sun care, will start the month off very weak, but some improvement will arrive around mid-March. Demand for spring categories will be generally flat to last year, except in the Southeast where warmer temperature trends are expected.

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