Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, December 31, 1994 TAG: 9501030051
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LISA K. GARCIA STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Rob Glenn, Roanoke Gas Co.'s vice president, said his company's statistics show this heating season, which began Oct.1, is 15 percent warmer than normal. Last year's was 9 percent colder than normal. The result: Customer's bills are, on average, about 11 percent lower than last year's.
This savings for customers translates into lost profits for utility companies.
Victoria Ratcliff, spokeswoman for Appalachian Power Co., said electricity sales for Dec. 1-27 were down 4 percent compared with the same period last year.
``We attribute that mainly to the warmer weather,'' she said.
Dave Hatcher, assistant manager of Hatcher & Son Inc., which sells heating oil, said sales for December are down 30 percent and November sales were no better.
According to statistics from the National Weather Service, 23 days have been warmer than normal this month. Dec.5 was 22 degrees hotter than the norm.
Don't retire those winter coats yet. Today's weather forecast calls for freezing rain with highs in the 40s.
Phil Boggs, manager of J.C. Penney at Tanglewood Mall in Roanoke County, said warmer weather always affects sales of winter clothing.
``We've had to take earlier clearance action [on winter clothes], but we've sold more coats this year,'' Boggs said.
The warmer weather may freeze the sale of winter clothes, but it heats up overall retail shopping. Boggs said all sales are up over last year, in part because the weather has been good.
Ski resorts, on the other hand, are seeing fewer skiers and less natural snow.
The Homestead ski area manager, Sepp Kober, said lift-ticket sales are behind last year's, but not by much. Because just three of the resort's six slopes are open, ticket prices have been reduced to $25 for all customers. Normally, lift tickets are $25 for hotel guests and $32 for others. Other activities at the hotel, such as ice skating and horseback riding, have been busy, Kober said, and hotel reservations are even with last year's.
With ski resorts lacking sufficient snow, ski rentals have dipped.
Jeff George, assistant manager of Back Country Ski and Sports in Blacksburg, said ski rentals are down 50 percent.
Wintergreen Resort in Nelson County is feeling the December heat, too. Only four of its 17 slopes were open this week.
Mark Glickman, director of public relations for Wintergreen, said he expects colder temperatures in January and February will allow the snow machine to roll out the white carpet for skiers. Wintergreen recently invested more than $1million to nearly double its snow-making capabilities.
``It's the single biggest investment [in snow making] in the last 20 years here,'' he said.
The lack of snow may have slowed lift-ticket sales at Wintergreen, but Glickman notes that the resort also has a golf course where greens fees can compensate.
``We had over 100 people here Saturday skiing and golfing,'' he said.
Snowshoe Mountain-Silver Creek Resort in Snowshoe, W.Va., has the benefit of its nearly mile-high elevation to keep temperatures low.
Chris Canfield, public relations director, said 26 out of its 53 slopes are open.
``Warm temperatures hurt us on day visits,'' Canfield said.
Canfield said when people in Roanoke and Richmond are seeing 60-degree weather, they don't think of skiing. In fact, there's plenty of snow - and temperatures in the 30s - at the resort.
``We even had a white Christmas,'' he said.
by CNB