Event Industry Study Finds 90% of Weather Decisions Happen at the Finish Line

New DTN Report Finds Weather Decisions Peak 48 Hours Before Impact

Weather decisions in the event industry are not made when forecasts become available. They are made when the cost of acting becomes clearer than the cost of waiting.

New research from DTN, “Beyond the Forecast: Weather Risk and Event Decision-Making,” finds that more than 90% of weather-related decisions occur within 48 hours of an event, underscoring how operational risk, not data access, ultimately drives decision timing.

Even among highly experienced professionals with established weather plans, decisions are often delayed until conditions become actionable and the operational consequences of waiting become more immediate.

“The reality is that weather decisions are rarely made in isolation,” said Renny Vandewege, general manager of Weather and Climate Intelligence at DTN. “By the time teams act, they are balancing safety, operational continuity, financial impact and stakeholder coordination in real time. The challenge is not simply accessing weather information, but reaching the confidence threshold required to make a decision.”

Key Findings Include:

• Nearly one-third of decisions are made during live event execution, as conditions evolve
• Only about one-third of respondents feel highly confident interpreting forecasts for decision-making
• Organizations identify clear thresholds and decision triggers as the top areas for improvement
• Repeated weather disruptions contribute to cumulative financial impact, often exceeding $25,000 and in some cases surpassing $100,000

The findings point to a consistent pattern: the challenge is not access to weather information, but how that information is translated into action.

Event organizers are not simply monitoring conditions. They are determining when those conditions justify operational decisions such as delaying, suspending, or continuing an event. Those decisions carry safety, operational, and financial impacts.

This highlights the need for decision support that helps organizations interpret conditions, define action thresholds, and respond consistently under pressure.

To learn more and download the full State of Weather Impacts in Events report, visit [Insert URL].

About the Survey

This survey was conducted in collaboration with the Event Safety Alliance and U.K. Crowd Management Association. The findings are based on 139 responses from event professionals, primarily in North America, collected in March 2026 across event organizers, operations leaders, and venue operators.