Halloween Trick-or-Treating Forecast: Teeth-Chattering Chill for Some, Damp Weather for Others in the US

AccuWeather Global Weather Center – October24, 2023 – For kids and adults alike, and all ghosts and ghouls, AccuWeather’s Halloween outlook breaks down where trick-or-treaters and Halloween parade or partygoers across the country will need to add extra layers, umbrellas, or jackets to their costumes this year.

Will you need to hide your superhero cape under a coat? Read on to find out and be sure to check AccuWeather.com and the free AccuWeather app for the most accurate local forecast for your area.

Overview

Damp, cooler in the Northeast
Mixed bag for trick-or-treaters across the South
Bone-chilling cold to grip the Midwest and Great Lakes
Sweater weather in store for the West Coast

Damp, cooler in the Northeast

Young trick-or-treaters may have to contend with damp, chilly conditions on Halloween and Halloween night across parts of the Northeast. Forecasters say that a cold front is expected to pass through the region early next week to bring a notable drop in temperature. A swath of showers and potentially even the first snow flurries of the season in the colder spots will occur.

An umbrella may come in handy for residents of the Northeast walking around their neighborhoods early next week, particularly those utilizing face paint as part of their masquerade on All Hallows’ Eve.

Often, when the actual Halloween holiday falls on a weekday, towns may choose the closest weekend day for area trick-or-treat nights. This weekend will be several degrees warmer compared to Tuesday conditions; however, the chance of damp weather is still on the table for some interior Northeast locations.

Courtesy of AccuWeather

“The mild conditions that millions will experience this week across the Northeast will likely be a distant memory early next week. Temperatures that will climb comfortably into the 70s F in places like New York City and Philadelphia are expected to fall some 20 degrees shy of those values by next Tuesday,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said.

Temperatures can rapidly decline as the cold front passes over the region early next week. Afternoon high temperatures across parts of northern Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont may not even creep into the 40s F on Tuesday while overnight temperatures are projected to fall into the 20s and 30s F.

Under mostly to partly cloudy sky cover, residents of Sleepy Hollow, New York, around the Hudson Valley are forecast to have temperatures in the 50s with a few showers on Halloween. Farther to the south, in southwestern West Virginia, residents in the town of Scary are expected to face a similar fate with the possibility of showers and high temperatures in the 50s.

For many ghoulish enthusiasts, visiting Salem, Massachusetts, over Halloween is a bucket-list item. This year, conditions during the start of the weekend may prove rather warm for late October, but by Halloween, the autumn chill is expected to set in. Weather conditions can deteriorate from a mainly dry pattern with afternoon temperatures in the 70s on Saturday to a damp day and temperatures in the 40s on Halloween day.

Courtesy of AccuWeather

Mixed bag for trick-or-treaters across the South

Following a stretch of mainly dry and warm weather in the Southeast, most locations from northern Florida to the North Carolina coast are expected to remain on the dry side early next week.

Places like Spiderweb, South Carolina, along the Georgia-South Carolina border, will observe a peak in the building warmth by Sunday or Monday then notice a decline in temperatures accompanying cloudier conditions from early to midweek as a weak front pushes across the region. For many spots throughout the Southeast, temperatures will gradually trend near the historical average for Halloween, AccuWeather forecasters say.

Locations along the southeastern coast of Florida, such as Ghost Cove and Dismal Key, may have a few showers crossing the region into Halloween night. Damp and cooler weather can spread across the South Central states early next week as well. Widespread highs in the 60s are expected along the Texas Gulf Coast as highs will be in the 40s across the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles by Tuesday.

Farther north across the Plains and Midwest, an even chillier day is in store as an Arctic air mass plunges southward from Canada.

Bone-chilling cold to grip the Midwest and Great Lakes

The primary pattern across the northern Plains early next week will be governed by a zone of high pressure anchored over the region. As this feature continues to circulate very cold air southward from Canada from late this week into early next week, temperatures are forecast to be anywhere between 10 and 20 degrees below the historical averages for late October.

“The fall chill is expected to settle in across the entirety of the Midwest by early next week. Temperatures are also expected to fall well below historical averages across the Plains. Children in places like Chicago, Minneapolis and even Oklahoma City may want to consider wearing extra layers underneath their costumes to stay warm,” Buckingham explained.

Widespread high temperatures in the 30s and 40s are projected to occur across the Midwest and Great Lakes region. Across portions of North Dakota, Montana and Minnesota, even lower values are anticipated with highs in the 20s.

However, in some locations of the northern Plains on Halloween evening, windy conditions may combine with low temperatures to make it less than ideal for young trick-or-treaters to be wandering around the neighborhood.

“Although it will be chilly across the Midwest, an area of high pressure settling in should promote largely dry conditions. One exception to that may be downwind of the Great Lakes where there may be a few snowflakes flying through the air,” Buckingham said.

It will be a cold day in Hell, Michigan, with a high temperature predicted to reach into only the upper 30s F, roughly 10-15 degrees below the historical average for the area.

Sweater weather in store for the West Coast

The pattern across the Western states will generally trend cooler and drier than at the start of this week. Forecasters say that the notable snowfall event spreading across the Cascades, northern Rockies and northern Plains this week is on track to bring blizzardlike conditions and hefty snowfall totals will track well off to the east as Halloween approaches and a brief dry pattern can set in across the region.

A sweater may be needed for any residents of Casper, Wyoming, attending pumpkin-picking festivities or costume parties as temperatures will remain several degrees below the historical average, but nearby high pressure may help to promote dry weather.

People in Tombstone, Arizona, will have noticeably cooler conditions early next week compared to late this week. Temperatures may fall to the 60s by Tuesday, compared to the 80s forecast for Friday and Saturday.

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