Monthly forecast of temperature & precipitation trends affecting outdoor furniture sales.
Sunny days ahead as shoppers seek cool shade, comfort 7/1/2008
Last July was the coldest in three years, with 89% of the nation trending colder than July 2006. The number of hot days over 90 degrees were down 24% nationally versus the prior year, and extremely hot days over 100 degrees were down a significant 60%. The cooler weather and slowing economy produced a more sluggish sales environment for the clearance of patio product and deck categories. More
Count on June warming trend 06/01/2008
Last June brought the month’s coldest temperatures in three years, with 59% of the nation trending colder than the prior year. The weather leading up to the July 4th holiday was very cool in many parts of the nation, and resulted in 108 new record-low temperatures being set. Rainfall was excessive across the South Central states and Florida, where many places saw more than 2 feet of rain.
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Cool, wet challenges for May 05/01/2008
Last May was the warmest since 2004, due in large part to the exceptionally warm weather during the week prior to Mother’s Day. Some sales gains for outdoor living categories were up in the 10% to 20% range early in the month, but those gains were given back with the weak Memorial Day. The holiday brought the month’s worst weather, trending 2.
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Spring into early April sales 04/01/2008
Last year, the month of April started out with very cold temperatures spreading southward. Freezing temperatures were common as far south as northern Florida, and snow was flying across the Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic region and parts of the Northeast. To make matters worse, the month turned out to be very wet as well.
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March brings wet, rainy conditions 03/01/2008
March 2007 was the warmest in three years and ranked as the second warmest in 113 years of national records. During the month, 79% of the nation trended warmer than the year before. Only New England missed out on the warmth as Old Man Winter kept his grip on the region with plenty of snow and cold temperatures.
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Expect warmer February this year Jack Grum, vice president , Weather Trends International - 02/01/2008
Last year, bitter cold temperatures locked in across the nation for most of the month, producing the coldest retail February in 18 years and the snowiest in 13 years. The month started out with record-setting lake effect snows in New York and ended the month with a late season blizzard in the upper Midwest.
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Fall weather returns 11/01/2007
Last year, November trended colder than the prior year for 64% of the nation, but still averaged as the 14th warmest in 112 years of records. The month started off with very cold conditions nationwide along with a few early snowstorms in the Midwest, Rocky Mountains and Seattle. Northern Florida also saw the earliest occurrence of snow since 1912 on the 21st.
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Outside Views Marcia Blake, Founder and President, Outdoor Interiors Inc March 28, 2008 Spring Scents
Yesterday, two different native Canadians, expressed to me their d... More
Outside Views Marcia Blake, Founder and President, Outdoor Interiors Inc March 26, 2008 WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
While getting ready for the Spring International Conference for th... More
Inside/Out Design Many online readers have requested to view the images that ran with our May trend feature - Inside/Out Design by Cheryl Dangel Cullen. The images are found here. Photos courtesy of Meridian Interior, LLC.
Outdoor Living Booth - HPBExpo 2008 Sponsors included Telescope Casual, Outdoor Leisure, Sunbrella, In & Out Cabinetry, Sawgrass Mills Outdoor Rugs, Tervis Tumbler, Imax and Trees Int'l. For details on getting involved in 2009, contact Norman Hamilton at 336-605-3790.
Join Casual Living for a video tour of showrooms and new products at the recent International Casual Furniture Association's Pre-Market at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. Click here for more details.
EVENTS
New York International Gift Fair
8/16/2008 - 8/21/2008
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, Piers, Passenger Ship Terminal Piers 92 and 94 and Metropolitan Pavilion, New York
Spoga
8/31/2008 - 9/2/2008
Koelmesse Congress Center, Cologne, Germany
Weather Trends
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