AccuWeather MinuteCast Study Reveals How Winter Impacts Road Travel and Holiday Plans Down to the Minute

National survey reveals new insights on how people make every minute count

AccuWeather Global Weather Center – December 8, 2014 – AccuWeather, the global leader in weather information and digital media, today announced the results of a national survey that details how winter weather conditions affect consumer behavior by the minute, from road travel to holiday preparations. The AccuWeather MinuteCast® study polled 1,000 respondents across the U.S., revealing findings with some stark regional differences.

Winter weather means more car time for Americans. Specifically, the survey found that when winter weather hits, 87 percent of respondents give themselves up to 30 extra minutes when heading out on the road. Regionally, Midwesterners give themselves the most time to account for winter conditions during their daily drive, with 52 percent allotting an extra 16-30 minutes.

As minutes count down to holiday celebrations, weather also has a direct impact on retail shopping. The survey found that 58 percent of adults would not head out for holiday shopping in the event of a forecast of at least 4 inches of snow. Southerners are more likely to delay shopping in inclement winter conditions, with 35 percent stating that just 1-3 inches of snow would hold them back from retail brick-and-mortar stores. In contrast, in the Northeast, 33 percent of respondents stated that it would take a more significant snowfall amount of 7-9 inches to keep them from braving the elements.. The survey also found that the majority of respondents did not have to brave bad winter weather to complete their last-minute holiday list last year.

“As the world’s weather leader, AccuWeather understands correlations between weather and consumer behavior through the use of complex data, robust analytics, and additional consumer insights,” said Dr. Joel N. Myers, Founder, President and Chairman of AccuWeather, Inc. “With this leadership and expertise, AccuWeather provides the most unique, innovative products that improve peoples’ lives, including AccuWeather MinuteCast. With MinuteCast, drivers can check minute-by-minute snow and rain conditions at their exact locations, as well as their destinations, allowing them to plan the best times for road travel and holiday shopping and make the most of every minute during the busy holiday season."

To see how winter weather will impact last-minute shopping this season, go to AccuWeather.com or use the AccuWeather mobile app available on most popular digital devices for weather forecasts with Superior Accuracy™, featuring AccuWeather MinuteCast – the unique, patent-based, minute-by-minute precipitation forecast for users' exact street addresses or GPS locations. It gives users by-the-minute precipitation forecasts for the next two hours, including precipitation type and intensity, start times, and end times for their exact locations. AccuWeather MinuteCast is uniquely supported by both national and international patented technology.

AccuWeather is also inviting people to share how they are using MinuteCast to make every minute count through the AccuWeather MinuteCast Moments Sweepstakes. To share a MinuteCast Moments picture and caption and enter for a chance to win, visit AccuWeather's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/accuweather. Participants can also enter via Twitter or Instagram and must include the hashtag #MinuteCast with their entries. The sweepstakes began at 12:00 am ET on November 17, 2014 and ends at 11:59 pm ET on January 11, 2015 at 11:59 pm ET. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, Washington D.C., and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 years of age or older. Limit one entry per person per week. No purchase necessary. Winners will be selected at random after the sweepstakes ends. For complete sweepstakes rules, visit www.Facebook.com/AccuWeather.

About AccuWeather, Inc. and AccuWeather.comEvery day over a billion people worldwide rely on AccuWeather to help them plan their lives, protect their businesses, and get more from their day. AccuWeather provides hourly and Minute by Minute™ forecasts with Superior Accuracy™ for any longitude/latitude on Earth, with customized content and engaging video presentations available on smart phones, tablets, free wired and mobile Internet sites, connected TVs, and Internet appliances, as well as via radio, television, and newspapers. Founded in 1962 by Dr. Joel N. Myers – a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society who was recognized as one of the top entrepreneurs in American history by Entrepreneur Magazine’s Encyclopedia of Entrepreneurs – AccuWeather also delivers a wide range of highly-customized enterprise solutions to media, business, government, and institutions, as well as news, weather content, and video for more than 180,000 third-party websites. AccuWeather’s CEO, Barry Lee Myers, is an award winning leader in global weather information issues and one of the world’s most recognized advocates for cooperative relationships between government weather agencies and the weather industry. He is a leader in the digital weather information space.

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