I know this week is bringing record cold temperatures, but for many so far this winter has been very mild and is causing some contractors that normally close up shop during the winter months to find their phones ringing off the hook with business.
A Minnesota contractor for example had to call to get an emergency supply of soap to him for a new job. He told me "It is unbelievable that we have zero snow on the ground and we have had only one good snow here that stayed more than 3 days since November." He also stated "I haven't had work in January for years." Minnesota is experienced its third driest autumn on record and possible drought conditions may develop in 2012 due to it, indicated by a NOAA report just released.
This warmer than normal, no large snow fall is also putting a damper on the contractors that switch in winter to other lines of work, like snow plowing, ice dam removal and other cold weather jobs. Most of the West and North East is having record low snow amounts while places not use to so much of the white stuff like Arizona and Texas were getting recording setting high levels. NOAA stated that during November only 4.4% of the country had snow on the ground vs. the normal >10%. The only area to have above normal levels in 2011 was a small area over the intermountain West.
Also that the North East had above normal temperatures with MA, RI and VT having their warmest autumn on record. This caused the normal to above average amount of precipitation to feel like a unending rain storm. A customer in Boston that I spoke with back in end of November said his business was down almost by half since September because they were not having enough clear days to do the work they had scheduled, not due to lack of work.
Let us know by your comments here or on our facebook page as to how the weather effected your final quarter of the year and what you think the Spring of 2012 will bring.