Weather Future

Weather Future

A weather derivative in which the buyer is required to pay the seller $20 for each day in a given month that the daily temperature is below 65 degrees (a heating degree day) or above 65 degrees (a cooling degree day), depending on the nature of the contract. A weather future allows a business to hedge against potential losses resulting from an unexpected change in weather. Energy companies are the most common sellers of weather futures; they have become relatively popular investments.