When The Weather Company Starts Taking Notes
How the leaders in weather data are validating the need for weather strategy
“Companies need weather to be part of their overall strategy. It’s getting less and less acceptable to use weather as an excuse for poor performance.” Sheri Bachstein, President, The Weather Company
In 2011, I was hired by the (then) Weather Channel Company to create something new: an analytics business that would turn weather from background noise into actionable intelligence for consumer businesses.
The strategy I outlined spanned the full spectrum — from supply chain management to demand forecasting, merchandising, and advertising.
In practice, our initial focus zeroed in on the advertising business, leading to the creation of WeatherFX, an ad tech product that matched real-time weather with targeted media.
The product was featured in this Wall Street Journal article:
Weather Channel Now Also Forecasts What You'll Buy: Company's Data Helps Fine-Tune When and Where Advertisers Should Place Spots
That effort became the foundation, but much of the broader strategy took a back seat until IBM’s acquisition reinvigorated the vision — placing weather intelligence firmly at the center of enterprise decision-making.
Fast forward to today.
The Weather Company (TWC) recently commissioned an article in Forbes magazine (paywalled for me, unfortunately) that highlights what I’ve been saying at G2 Weather Intelligence for years: weather shouldn’t be an excuse — it should be a core business strategy.
You might be able to read the full article here: Why Retailers Need a Weather Strategy Beyond Inventory Forecasting
If, like me, you can’t get to the article here’s the net/net —
Sound familiar? It should. It’s a sign that the shift toward enterprise-wide weather strategy is finally happening.
And the fact that it's coming from TWC is no surprise …
G2 Weather has a large number of active subscribers inside The Weather Company itself — across product, sales, and marketing.
They’ve been following my dispatches closely, engaging with the data and insights, and now we’re seeing those same themes reflected in their public messaging.
When a name as prominent as The Weather Company starts embracing the approaches I’ve been evangelizing, it underscores just how central strategy has become to the conversation.
What TWC Got Right
Weather drives revenue, not just costs. Retailers who align promotions, inventory, and logistics to weather patterns see measurable lift.
Climate change is accelerating volatility. Seasonality is less reliable, making demand forecasting harder — unless weather is factored in.
AI makes integration easier. The tools are here to connect forecasts to business intelligence systems, unlocking real-time adjustments.
Where the Gap Remains
Here’s the catch: weather analytics without a weather strategy ≠ weather intelligence.
Having a “weather coefficient” or an AI model doesn’t mean a company knows what to do with the output. Data on its own doesn’t drive sales — the strategy layered on top does.
Weather tells you what’s coming.
Analytics tells you what it means for your categories, promotions, and sales.
Strategy translates that into actions that grow profits and limit losses.
At G2 Weather Intelligence, we focus on that translation: turning anomalies into action, making weather volatility a competitive advantage rather than a quarterly excuse.
Case Study: Burlington Coat Factory
A great real-world example of this dynamic came during Burlington Coat Factory’s Q3 2024 earnings call.
The company faced historically warm fall temperatures that hit sales in its most weather-sensitive categories — coats, boots, hats, and fleece. In October alone, cold-weather products represented nearly a quarter of Burlington’s sales. When temperatures stayed well above normal, those categories declined in the negative teens, dragging comps down by about three points.
But here’s the key: Burlington didn’t panic. CEO Michael O’Sullivan explained that a conservative plan and tight inventory discipline gave them the agility to pivot. By reacting quickly in late September, they maintained a healthy underlying comp trend of +4% once weather was factored out — all while protecting margins.
That’s weather strategy in action. Data showed them the headwind; strategic planning turned it into resilience.
📌 You can read the full post here:
Burlington Coat Factory: A Masterclass in Weather-Resilient Retailing
The Bigger Picture
The Weather Company’s amplified messaging is good news for the industry. It validates that the conversation has shifted.
Weather isn’t niche anymore — it’s core to retail performance.
But it also raises the bar. The winners won’t be the companies that just subscribe to weather data or shiny analytics feeds. They’ll be the ones who integrate weather strategy into every level of decision-making.
That’s where Weather Intelligence lives. Not in the data. Not even in the analytics. It’s the end-to-end strategy and actions that turn it into ROI.
Appendix: G2 Weather Archive
Over the past year, I’ve explored how weather shapes retail performance from multiple angles — from earnings calls to seasonal forecasts to long-term climate risk. Below is a selection of past posts that provide additional context and examples for readers who want to dig deeper.
Each of these pieces highlights a different dimension of the same truth: weather isn’t background noise, it’s a strategic driver of retail outcomes.
Like the paywalled Forbes article—a questionable placement for marketing content IMHO—these are also paywalled but available for a (very!) small fee.
Burlington Coat Factory: A Masterclass in Weather-Resilient Retailing
Read here »Winners, Losers, and $400M on the Line: How Weather Moved Retail in Fall 2024
Read here »Lowe’s Q2: Weather Shifts Spark a Late-Quarter Comeback
Read here »The Future of Retail Forecasting: Weather, AI, and the Demand Planning Revolution
Read here »Stephen Weiss likes DKS quite a bit: Not that there’s anything wrong with that
Target raises holiday sales forecast on robust (weather-driven) apparel demand: Reaping the benefits of colder holiday season weather