Will Halloween bring us a trick or a treat this year, weatherwise? Here’s our October 2023 weather forecast from Bob Smerbeck and Brian Thompson, Old Farmer’s Almanac meteorologists. With dry and warm weather for most of the month, this year, the weather is lookingnot-so-scary!
October 2023 WeatherPredictions
October temperatures will be warmer than normal across the Northeast and Great Lakes and from the Midwest and Plains through the Rockies into the Pacific Southwest; elsewhere, they will be near- or cooler than normal. Precipitation will be below normal in much of the country except for above-normal amounts across the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, Desert Southwest, andHawaii.
October temperatures will be above normal across much of Canada, while precipitation will average above normal in the western provinces and below normalelsewhere.
On October 5, World Teachers’ Day, the weather will be dry and sunny for outdoor classes along much of the East Coast, as well as from Texas through the Rockies and Desert Southwest to the Pacific Coast. Elsewhere across the United States, keep the umbrellas handy, as there will be periods of rain. In Canada, there will be an opportunity for hands-on weather instruction as showers cross much of thecountry.
October 9 is Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the U.S. and Thanksgiving Day in Canada. Keep the rain gear handy if you plan to attend outdoor activities from the Atlantic Corridor to the Appalachians, across Florida, from the Ohio Valley through the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest, and in Alaska and Hawaii. Elsewhere, conditions will be sunny and dry for parades. Southern British Columbia will be mostly dry and sunny, but the rest of Canada can expect rain showers, with the possibility of snow showers in SouthernQuebec.
On October 12, National Farmer’s Day in the United States, the weather will be dry for harvesting across the Northeast, Southeast, and Upper Midwest; from the Deep South to Texas and the Ohio Valley through the Heartland; and from the western Rockies to the Pacific Northwest coast. Showers may dampen harvesting plans elsewhere; watch for heavy rain inHawaii.
Alaska Day, October 18, commemorates the anniversary of the purchase of the Last Frontier from the Russian Empire in 1867. Expect snow showers across the north and central regions of the state on this day and a mix of rain and snow in thesouth.
October 31, most commonly known as Halloween, will feature dry and mild conditions for trick-or-treaters in many areas from the Northeast through the Appalachians, in Florida, and across the Upper Midwest to the High Plains and IntermountainWest.
Elsewhere, showers and cool conditions will play tricks on your outdoor plans. Watch for snow in Alaska and heavy rain in Hawaii. Conditions will be sunny and mild in Atlantic Canada, while showers or snow showers may occur elsewhere across thecountry.
However, tied for the coldest low temperature are the years 1873 and 1917 with a low of 18 F – brrr! However, trick-or-treating didn't become a widespread practice until the 1930s. Thank goodness with that chill!
Easter 2024 and Good Friday weekend is predicted to be stormy and rain-soaked one as weather forecast shows two storms to hit parts of the US. As a midweek storm lashes the Northwest, attention shifts to the looming threat of an atmospheric river storm set to engulf Southern California over the weekend.
Portions of the West Coast and Florida will be the only areas of the contiguous US to avoid goosebumps on Halloween. Trick-or-treating conditions will be ideal along the West Coast, but chilly elsewhere.
Since 1897, it has snowed on 14 of 124 Halloweens (11.3%). The only Halloweens with measurable snowfall were in 1926 (2.4"), 1995 (0.5"), and 2023 (1.1").
This winter storm dropped 28.4" of snow on the Twin Cities (single storm record for the metropolitan record) while Duluth received 36.9" of snow (the largest single storm total in MN history).
Carbon Brief's projection suggests that 2024 is virtually certain to be either the warmest or second- warmest year on record, with a central estimate just above 1.5C, slightly higher than 2023.
In what's looking like a re-run from last year, a trio of weather experts are predicting the coming months to be hot and dry for most of the country. “Overall, just like last summer, I think we're looking at one of the hotter summers on record,” said Carol Connare, editor at The Old Farmer's Almanac.
Scientists are paying close attention to global average temperatures this summer, since there was more warming during 2023 into 2024 than what was expected from a combination of El Niño and human-caused climate change.
While temperatures fluctuate throughout the year in most U.S. states, there are few states with warm weather that see averages around 70-degree weather year-round. These states include Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and New Mexico.
Alaska is the coldest state in the U.S., with an average statewide temperature of 28.4 degrees in 2023. See below for the full list of the 10 coldest states in the U.S.
With a minimum average temperature of about minus 17 degrees Fahrenheit, Fairbanks takes the cake as the coldest city in the U.S. The northernmost major city in Alaska, Fairbanks has seen record cold temperatures reaching minus 66 degrees in the past.
In 1873, the records were set for the coldest Oct.31 daytime temperature — 31 degrees — and the lowest low temperature — 23 degrees. The normal low temperature on Halloween is 39 degrees.
This was a year when winter enthusiasts got more than they signed up for! The 1980s, in general, were known for some of the iciest Decembers on record, but 1983 was a year in its own league. Over 70% of the month saw colder than average temperatures sweep across the country. The Christmas of '83 was one for the books.
According to the National Weather Service, the coldest Halloween on record wasn't too long ago when it hit 7 degrees in 2019. This may sound miserable, but probably not as awful as Halloween in 1972 when it snowed 8 inches in Denver.
Introduction: My name is Dan Stracke, I am a homely, gleaming, glamorous, inquisitive, homely, gorgeous, light person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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