Weather conditions look good for Black Friday
Retailers can expect mostly good weather conditions for the upcoming holiday weekend.
Dry weather is expected for most of the country on Black Friday this year, a positive sign for retailers banking on in-store traffic. According to the AccuWeather Global Weather Center, weather conditions along the West Coast should be great for travel — and venturing out to the stores — from Black Friday through Cyber Monday. Much of the northern part of the country, including the Northeast and the Great Lakes region, should experience dry and chilly conditions for Black Friday and the holiday shopping weekend.
Along the Gulf Coast and the Southeast, shoppers can expect rain and a few thunderstorms on Black Friday. A few rounds of rain are possible in these areas both on Black Friday and then again later in the weekend into Cyber Monday. According to the AccuWeather forecast, rain could also sneak north over the weekend across the mid-Atlantic.
The only region expected to see snowfall on Black Friday is the Rocky Mountain area, with several inches of snow expected along the Front Range of the Rockies and Colorado I-25 corridor.
“Weather can have a big impact on consumer behavior, particularly shopping,” said Dan DePodwin, senior director of forecasting operations. “If the weather outside is frightful, holiday shoppers may tend to stay home and shop online rather than venture out. However, sunny weather, even if chilly, can put people in the mood to get out and stroll around their local stores.”
According to a recent National Retail Federation survey, an estimated 182 million people are expected to shop during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, a record number since the group started estimating traffic in 2017.
“Across the nation as a whole, the weather this coming weekend looks quieter overall than last year's weekend after Thanksgiving, when there was a significant storm that brought heavy rain, thunderstorms and gusty winds from the South to the Northeast,” added DePodwin. “This could lead to an increase in in-person shopping across those regions this year.”