This past week has delivered some of the most extreme and unpredictable cold weather the U.S. has seen in years. Regions that rarely experience sustained low temperatures have been hit with prolonged cold snaps that have thrown off systems designed for a far more predictable climate.
Parts of the Southeast have seen temperatures drop into the 30s and 40s, levels that materially change shipping conditions for frozen and refrigerated products. For DTC frozen and refrigerated brands, this growing volatility is revealing how many refrigerant strategies are still built for far more predictable conditions.
Consistency Is the Goal, Even When Conditions Are Not
In cold-chain logistics, success is defined by consistency. Customers expect frozen and refrigerated deliveries to arrive on time and within strict temperature ranges regardless of weather variability, carrier congestion, or regional anomalies. Historically, that consistency was supported by relatively stable seasonal patterns and geographic norms. Winter meant colder conditions, southern regions were treated as warmer risk zones, and static refrigerant rules were sufficient to cover most scenarios.
This winter is exposing how fragile that model has become. Extended cold and rapid swings in typically warmer regions push shipments into conditions static plans aren’t built for. A shipment routed to Florida during an unusual stretch of winter weather may encounter conditions that naturally support thermal stability, yet still be packed with warm-weather refrigerant levels simply because the destination hasn’t changed.
As climate variability increases, geography and historical averages are no longer reliable inputs for refrigerant decisions. Systems that depend on them are increasingly misaligned with real-world conditions.
The Cost of Static Refrigerant in a Volatile Winter
When uncertainty rises, many cold-chain teams respond by increasing protection. More refrigerant is added to guard against potential delays or temperature excursions.
While this approach may feel prudent, static over-protection often introduces unnecessary cost without meaningfully improving outcomes. Excess refrigerant increases material spend, adds weight and dimensional cost, and creates waste, especially when ambient temperatures are already providing significant thermal support during transit.
Across thousands of shipments, those small inefficiencies add up to real margin loss.
Refrigerant Settings Should Be Dynamic
Lower route temperatures reduce the thermal load placed on shipments. When those conditions are properly accounted for, they can allow brands to use less refrigerant without increasing melt or spoilage risk.
Dynamic refrigerant strategies are designed to account for real-time conditions rather than relying on fixed assumptions. By factoring in current weather patterns, route conditions, and transit time, dynamic systems can adjust refrigerant levels to match what each shipment actually requires.
This allows brands to maintain consistent delivery outcomes while avoiding unnecessary over-packing. The objective isn’t to reduce protection, but to apply it precisely, shipment by shipment.
What This Winter Reveals About Refrigerant Strategy
The current winter we’re experiencing signals how outdated many refrigerant strategies have become. Extreme and unseasonable cold across large parts of the country is making one thing clear: refrigerant decisions based on fixed rules and historical assumptions no longer reflect the conditions shipments are actually moving through.
When refrigerant decisions don’t adjust to actual conditions, brands end up overshipping protection, driving unnecessary material cost and waste. Static rules treat winter as a single scenario, even though conditions vary widely by route and week. Dynamic refrigerant strategies align protection levels with real-world temperatures and transit conditions.
It’s time to rethink refrigerant strategy for 2026. Let’s talk: partnerships@gripshipping.com
