AccuWeather has announced a 2017 holiday sales forecast that exceeds National Retail Federation estimates by as much as $4 billion. Founder, President, and Chairman of AccuWeather Joel Myers joins Cheddar to discuss how much of that spending is weather-related.
He says that people get into the holiday shopping mood when the weather gets cold and snowy. And because of that, this has been a positive year for the retail industry. As for those last minute shoppers, Myers says he doesn't see a weather forecast that will impact shipping. He does foresee some delays due to the bottleneck of ordering last minute.
Plus, will you see a White Christmas? Myers predicts no extreme cold or heavy snow in the heavily populated areas around America. Montana and Wyoming will see some snow on Christmas Day, while towns north of Chicago and Detroit will get a dusting as well. However, eastern states aren't expected to see much snowfall this holiday.
Rescue teams in eastern Libya have retrieved hundreds of bodies from the city of Derna that's been inundated by devastating floods that killed hundreds.
Authorities searched Monday for escaped murderer Danelo Souza Cavalcante who has eluded capture since breaking out of a southeastern Pennsylvania prison a week and a half ago after he apparently slipped through a search perimeter, changed his appearance, stole a dairy delivery van and contacted acquaintances.
An earthquake has sown destruction and devastation in Morocco, where death and injury counts continue to rise as rescue crews dig out people both alive and dead in villages that were reduced to rubble.
