Coming up Monday, September 3, Labor Day represents the unofficial end to the summer season. As consumers celebrate with friends and family, businesses look forward to Labor Day weekend as an ideal time to sell early fall merchandise and clear remaining summer inventory.
The run-up to the holiday weekend will feature a cooler West and a warmer East compared to last year, say forecaster with Planalytics. Cooler than last year and normal temperatures will be focused from the Rockies to the West Coast, boosting demand for seasonal apparel and back-to-school goods. Near record heat will be felt across the Great Lakes and the Northeast, limiting demand for all things autumn. Drier than normal conditions are anticipated across the South. Conversely, passing showers and storms are possible in the Northwest, Northern Plains and Midwest.
Moving into the Labor Day weekend (Friday, August 31st – Monday, September 3rd ) summer heat will persist across much of the Northeast and Great Lakes supporting demand for packaged ice, cold beverages, and suncare. Temperatures along the West Coast will moderate closer to seasonal levels while cooler than last year, and normal temperatures persist in the Rockies. Seasonally warm conditions will continue across the Deep South with temperatures trending much warmer versus the 2017 holiday weekend.
Mostly dry conditions along the West Coast and throughout the South Central and Southeast regions will support outdoor activities, as well as retail and restaurant foot traffic. Consumers in the Southwest, Northern Plains, Midwest, and Northeast will want to keep their umbrellas handy as scattered showers and storms could rain on outdoor barbeques and celebrations during the holiday weekend. Residents of southeast Texas and southern Louisiana will experience drier than last year conditions as last year’s Labor Day weekend was spent cleaning up the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
Canada also celebrates Labour Day on September 3. The run-up to the holiday weekend will feature a similar pattern to the U.S. with warmer conditions focused in eastern markets and cooler temperatures in the West. Moving into the holiday weekend, western Canada will continue to see cooler than LY and normal conditions, providing a boost to early fall purchasing. Conversely, warmer than LY and normal temperatures will persist in eastern markets. Wet weather is possible in southeast markets while drier weather is expected in the Prairies.
For reference, Labor Day in 2017 fell on Monday, September 4, in Week 1 of September.
Labor Day in the U.S. was warmest since 2015 and driest since 2005.
In Canada, Labour Day was warmest since 2015 and wettest since 2014.
