What Are the Chances of a White Halloween This Year?

For many of us, snow on Halloween would be an unusual sight. And for the hundreds of thousands of kids and parents set to prowl their neighborhoods on October 31, weather that’s below freezing would make the task a lot less enjoyable (though the cold weather may help your pumpkin last longer!). You should have a pretty good sense of your area’s snow probabilities based on previous years’ weather — but Mother Nature is full of surprises, and you could be in for a White Halloween when you least expect it.

Can I expect snow on Halloween this year? 

For the majority of North America wondering about the weather on Halloween this year, the probability of seeing any snow is low. There’s less than a three percent chance of snow in October 2018 in large portions of the lower 48 states, as Alaskan climatologist Brian Brettschneider explains in a helpful map shown below. Brettschneider’s criteria is a depth of at least one inch of measurable snow on October 31.

What are your odds of #snow on #Halloween? Perhaps this map from @Climatologist49 and our analysis will answer that question: https://t.co/59C5J3XHLS pic.twitter.com/zk2Y61Lokj

— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) October 25, 2018

The areas where the likelihood of snow is a little bit higher are what you might expect: along the Rocky Mountains, portions of the Mountain West, and northern regions of the Great Plains. Breckenridge, Colorado, which sits about 9,600 feet above sea level, has the highest chance of snow each year at 41 percent, according to Brettschneider. But if you live near that city, don’t automatically assume that you’ll have snow, too. In Denver, which is about an hour and a half away, there’s only about an 18 percent chance of snow.

The upper Midwest and Northeast, namely sections of the Great Lakes regions and New York’s Adirondacks and Catskills, have about a 10 percent chance of snow. Marquette, Michigan, and Old Forge, New York, have a roughly 11 percent likelihood of a White Halloween. In Caribou, Maine, a town just minutes from the Canadian border, there’s a 10 percent chance of snow. 

Outside of the contiguous United States, Alaska has the highest chance of snow on Halloween — surprise, surprise. The likelihood of snow is as high as 60 percent in some areas of the state. 

If you’re determined to trick-or-treat in warm weather and avoid the snow, Halloween festivities in South Florida might be more your cup of tea. Snow on Halloween (let alone any measurable amount of snow during the rest of the year) is relatively unheard of in large chunks of the southern United States.

But a Halloween snowstorm isn’t impossible! 

In 2011, a Halloween blizzard whirled through sections of the Northeast, depositing at least 30 inches of snow in parts of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. (Who knew the biggest Halloween mess to clean would be snow and not dried chocolate stains?) Though the storm lasted only from October 29 to October 30, the powdered lingered at least through Halloween. The event, which became known as “Snowtober,” left three million without power and contributed to 39 direct and indirect deaths, according to NOAA. 

Dreading a Halloween snowstorm? 2011 saw a monster storm blanket parts of the country with several feet of snow. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Your local meteorologists will have a better sense of whether you’ll need a pair of snow boots under your costume this year. Until then, it’s never a bad idea to prepare for the worst. And let’s say your weatherman is predicting snow in your area — what happens on Halloween then? Well, if you buy a snowflake Halloween costume, you’ll fit right in!

Dressing up like Elsa from “Frozen” — aka the snowflake queen — is a fun way for adults to enjoy trick-or-treating without looking childish. (Photo Credit: Amazon)

The worst-case scenario this year is that there’ll be snow on Halloween — but that doesn’t have to put a damper on your Hallowen festivities. There are tons of fun indoor Halloween party games even your tweens who are “too cool” to care about anything will enjoy. And that allergy-free Halloween candy you were saving for the neighborhood kids? Well, it’ll be all yours now!

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