A hard-charging cold front will bring the metro area's first freeze and measurable snowfall of the season this weekend, and will make for the chilliest Halloween in four years.
Snow this weekend; coldest Halloween in four years on tap for Tuesday
Highs on Tuesday will reach only into the mid-30s and chilly conditions will hang around through early November.
October 26, 2023 at 12:04AM
But don't worry, nothing sinister like the 1991 blizzard that dropped 8.2 inches of snow on Halloween night — and 28.4 inches over three days — is on tap. Just light accumulation Saturday into Sunday and breezy winds Tuesday to accompany goosebump-inducing cold for those heading out for trick-or-treating.
"Bundle up," said meteorologist Caleb Grunzke in the National Weather Service's office in Chanhassen. "The good news [for Tuesday] is precipitation chances are low."
October has been warmer than normal with high temperatures running 3.5 degrees above average and nighttime temperatures 5 degrees warmer than average. The Twin Cities set a record high of 92 degrees on Oct. 1. And as of Wednesday, thermometers had yet to reach the freezing point.
The balmy times are ending and the first real slap of cold will get our attention, Grunzke said.
A system moving in from the west will send the mercury falling from the 50s Wednesday into the 30s by Friday. On Saturday night into Sunday morning, a dusting of snow is likely and up to 2 inches could fall in the Twin Cities, Grunzke said.
"We are not quite ready for that," he added.
Halloweens have been quite warm the past few years. Last year the high on Oct. 31 was 65 degrees. But this year trick-or-treaters may need a few extra layers under their costumes to stay warm.
The night could feel a lot like 2019 when the high was a cool 36 degrees and 2017 when the mercury only touched 35 degrees, the two coldest trick-or-treating nights in the past decade, according to the Minnesota State Climatology Office.
The average high for Oct. 31 is 50 degrees, the Weather Service said.
No warm-ups are in sight, either, with below-average temperatures expected all next week.
"We could remain quite chilly at least through early November," Grunzke said.
State law allows voters to cast their ballot up to 46 days before the election, but many will chose to vote on Election Day.
