Rain inches does not equal wet days

United States' Rainiest Cities
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by Liz Osborn © Current Results Nexus
Wettest Weather

Cities in the United States that receive the most precipitation each year don't necessarily have an exceptionally high number of rainy days.

Among the country's 51 largest urban populations, Buffalo, and Rochester New York most often have days when it's raining or snowing. Each city averages 167 wet days a year. But Buffalo ranks 26th in the total precipitation it receives annually, with 40.5 inches (1028 millimetres). Rochester gets even less rain and snow. At 34.3 inches (870 mm) of precipitation a year, Rochester ranks 37th among major US cities for highest annual precipitation.

New Orleans, on the other hand, where it usually rains over five feet a year, receives more precipitation than any big city in the USA. Yet it has far fewer wet days than many other cities. New Orleans ranks just 26th among large US cities in the number of days with precipitation, at 115 days a year.

The major cities included in the weather rankings represent the 51 metropolitan areas in the United States with the biggest populations, all those with over one million people in 2010, according to the US Census Bureau. A complete list of America's 51 largest urban centers is available here.

The precipitation totals are averages based on weather data collected from 1981 to 2010 for the NOAA National Climatic Data Center.
Major US cities that get over 45 inches (1143 millimetres) of precipitation a year: City Annual Precipitation
Inches Millimetres
New Orleans, Louisiana 62.7 1592
Miami, Florida 61.9 1572
Birmingham, Alabama 53.7 1364
Memphis, Tennessee 53.7 1363
Jacksonville, Florida 52.4 1331
Orlando, Florida 50.7 1289
New York, New York 49.9 1268
Houston, Texas 49.8 1264
Atlanta, Georgia 49.7 1263
Nashville, Tennessee 47.3 1200
Providence, Rhode Island 47.2 1198
Virginia Beach, Virginia 46.5 1182
Tampa, Florida 46.3 1176
Raleigh, North Carolina 46.0 1169
Hartford, Connecticut 45.9 1165

Most Rainy Days
Large US cities where it rains or snows on over 130 days each year: City Days
Rochester, New York 167
Buffalo, New York 167
Portland, Oregon 164
Cleveland, Ohio 155
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 151
Seattle, Washington 149
Columbus, Ohio 139
Cincinnati, Ohio 137
Miami, Florida 135
Detroit, Michigan 135

We could argue "what effects business more?" dark clouds and slightly wet or a quicker, "gulley washer", that cleans the streets and cars better?

The issue also revolves around what the sky looks like. Heavy or light rain will have th sme efect if it ends early and the sun comes outn and dries the street. By the same token it it's a light rain and looks like it my stat again any minut it kills the day.

And of course the forecast outlook makes difference as well.

This year in Atlanta, we've had number of days where it ended up having beautiful days but not so busy due to several days of rain forecast which never got realized.

Like, weatherchannel will forecast Monday thru Saturday anywhere between 30% to 40% chance or rain with those weather icon having cloudy and rain showing. Again, Monday thru Saturday all beautiful days with not a single drop of rain(at least during day). But people get scared off seeing all those days in a row with "possible" rain forecast and ruins our biz.

Vice versa is true where we may have had a dozen or so days of rain in a month but our biz turns out still pretty good because most of those rainy days were surprise.

So where as actual weather is the ultimate factor next biggest thing would be the forecast.

-tom

in 2010 Portland, Oregon had 201 days of measurably precipitation to have a negative effect on the CARWASH business.

But things are looking up, thru 12/25/2011 we have had only 175 days or precipitation.

By the way with a population in the Metro Area of 1.2 million there are over 125 conveyor washes not including roll overs in gas stations/self-services and self serve operations.

Bud Abraham

While rain actually falling seems to be the worst outcome, the actual threat of rain that remains unrealized is probably the most devastating to your bottom-line.

With actual rain, few if any cars will come in. But the moment it stops... and the streets start to dry out, you can be back in business.

However, the threat of rain requires a conscientious carwash operator to be open and available. Regardless of the type of operation, consumers needing a carwash will be disappointed if their regular carwash isn't available. Many simply look elsewhere, and the risk of asking your customer to go elsewhere might send him into the arms of your competition. And you may never have them come back to you.

Consequently, the best policy is to try to take your customers off-the-market from others, so the drain of staffing to remain open and available can be a rollercoaster of dribs & drabs or on-again off-again surges... in an attempt to protect your reputation of always being available. To some, that seems like bleeding to death from thousands of tiny paper cuts. In most minds, staying open and available is a wise choice.

If you advertise "Open 7 Days A Week", then you're obligated to be there. The caveat of "Weather Permitting" asks the consumer to play a guessing game, and that's not good for customers in a nearby area that is unaffected by rain. ALWAYS available as advertised... avoids consumer disappointment. That's when a flex-serve operation is appreciated... by consumers and operators alike!

Have A Safe & Happy New Year!!!

-Steve

www.SMOKUN.com