The actual high temperature in degrees Fahrenheit was 97, and the low 63. The normal highs and lows in the month of August in Clifton heights are 88 and 66. This fluctuation means that on very hot days, stores would find it difficult to cool their interiors in a cost-efficient fashion, yet consumers werespending more to cool their homes, and thus had less disposable income to spend during August. Also, hot days, psychologically, consumers may be less apt to shop for the traditional August bread and butter retail goods of school clothes and supplies, as it still seems like it is summer. A bad hurricane season and the high price of oil further cuts into consumer's ability to buy during a month with high utlity bills. Stores that are also hard-hit by the same costs cannot necessarily slash prices to draw consumers into the stores. There are regional differences in reactions to temperature and weather conditions such as temperature notes one business market analyst, researcher and meteorologist. Paul Walsh states one example is seen in how different regions of America "react to three inches of snow. In some neutral parts of the country, schools are closed and traffic is delayed. In Buffalo, N.Y., that's considered flurries and no one notices. [But] 'You get three inches in Atlanta, and that's [considered] Armageddon,'" Walsh said. (Schuman, 2004)

Pennsylvania would likely rate in the 'middle' or neutral area regarding snow. The snow is disastrous for malls and less necessity-based marketers during the holiday season, but bad weather is almost always a plus for stores such as Home Depot and 7-11. But besides the data, there is also a subjective factor, even in such stores that benefit from poor conditions, as the absolute temperature matters less as opposed to when people...

"Until recently, retailers made buying decisions based on fixed," that is absolute and thus "usually incorrect" assumptions about how consumers react to weather. Warm in Florida is different than warm in Maine, and rainy in Seattle is different, perceptually than rain in Arizona. Walsh's company Planalytics "typically delivers a seven-day immediate weather and buying pattern prediction report for each client, focusing on appropriate geographies. But they also deliver an 11-month prediction, which Walsh says is accurate about 75% of the time." (Schuman, 2004) Although, as a temperate climate, Philadelphia may be more easy to predict a response to the absolute data temperature of warmth and coolness, the greater seasonal variation of weather is an added incentive for retailers and consumers to keep an eye on the ever-changing temperature forecasts of different locations, and for businesses to understand how the absolute data of August was and will be translated into future consumer buying patterns, based upon real and psychological consumer perceptions of warmth or coldness, and how warmth and coolness can affect consumer buying power and store budgets.
Works Cited

Clifton Heights, PA: Last Month's Weather." (2 Sept 2005) Accuweather.com. Retrieved 2 Sept 2005 http://wwwa.accuweather.com/forecast-climo.asp?partner=accuweather&myadc=0&traveler=1&zipcode=19018&metric=0

National Weather Overview." (2 Sept 2005) Accuweather.com Blog. Retrieved 2 Sept 2005. http://wwwa.accuweather.com/index.asp?partner=accuweather&myadc=0&traveler=1

Schuman, Evan. (24 Dec 2004) "Weathering Storms for Retail Profits." Retrieved 2 Sept 2005 http://www.evanschuman.com/clips/eweek-29dec04-2.html