If not prepared, extreme winter weather events can be costly to your business by causing major disruptions to your supply chain leading to delays and temporary shutdowns.

By Jill King Greenwood, Marketing Manager

Published Jan 14, 2026 3:15 PM EST | Updated Jan 14, 2026 3:11 PM EST

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Five tips to prepare for winter weather supply chain disruptions

1. Create an emergency plan: A backup plan and preparing for supply chain disruptions is always a good idea. For example, have extra financial resources and design a plan to move goods and supplies to prevent and prepare for potential disruptions.

2. Build up inventory: Stockpile several months of essential supplies so your business can survive disruptions. If supply chains are disrupted, you may have to store goods and materials needed to maintain your business.

3. Diversify suppliers and identify backup vendors: Come up with other suppliers that can give you what you need if your current supplier can't get goods to you. You may have to diversify suppliers and find suppliers in different geographic locations to get you what you need. That way, you'll always be able to get what you need if there is a disruption.

4. Incorporate risk management: Utilize technology and experts to evaluate potential threats to your supply chain. Understand where you may have supply chain disruptions that could affect product quality, pricing, and availability.

5. Communicate with Customers: Customers care if you have supply chain issues; they want their products. Make sure you plan to communicate earlier rather than later when there are delays or disruptions.

<<Virtually eliminate the chance of being surprised by snow and ice and turn winter challenges into profitable opportunities. Start making the best decision for your business this winter. Consult one of our experts today to learn more >>

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Prevent Supply Chain Disruptions

Whether you realize it or not, climate change and supply chains are linked in many ways. As the global temperature rises, extreme weather patterns become more common, impacting your supply chain and production. Hurricanes, wildfires, and flooding can damage warehouses or make travel dangerous.

For example, cargo planes and trucks must wait for the weather to clear, causing costly shutdowns and delays. These disruptions can result in loss of business, contracts, and customers. Businesses lose billions of dollars annually because they are not properly prepared. That's where AccuWeather For Business comes in.

When extreme weather is in the forecast, AccuWeather's SkyGuard^® Warnings alert our clients earlier than anyone else by providing advance notice of up to 10 days ahead of disruptive weather.

Our clients also get a map showing where the weather impacts will occur, complete with supplier notifications, so their teams can visualize what suppliers will be impacted and which will not.

Communication is key. AccuWeather For Business constantly monitors each storm and provides clients with a list of affected suppliers based on the start time of the weather event. Clients also get a list of impacted suppliers based on magnitude, so they can know which ones will be - impacted the most.

The client’s supply chain team can set up a call with AccuWeather’s meteorologists for a one-on-one consultation to answer questions and review workflows. AccuWeather For Business provides our clients with the information to help them decide which shipments need to be re-routed, which suppliers need to be notified, and any additional adjustments that need to be made.

>> Learn more about AccuWeather’s Proven Superior Accuracy^TM

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The value of AccuWeather’s Snow Warning Service™

The value of AccuWeather's Snow Warning Service™, with proven Superior Accuracy™, can provide you with the most accurate forecasts and set you up to make the best decisions for your business. AccuWeather serves hundreds of businesses and has a 97% renewal rate. Our service cost is modest - while the payback is incredibly valuable to you.

To make the best decisions every time, you need the Superior Accuracy™ of AccuWeather's Snow Warning Service™. Study after study shows that AccuWeather provides the most accurate, precise, and detailed forecasts, which give you an exclusive umbrella of protection.

Independent studies show that AccuWeather’s forecasts are significantly more accurate and more valuable than all other sources. Last winter, AccuWeather’s average error for start and end times for snow and ice was just 1½ hours compared to an average error of more than 3 hours from other sources.