Photo by Beth Teutschmann
This Halloween, residents of the Northeast are set to experience unseasonably warm temperatures, with many cities likely to break historical records. In New York City, temperatures are forecasted to reach 78 degrees Fahrenheit (25.5 degrees Celsius), while Boston is expected to hit 76 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Celsius) on Thursday, October 31, 2024. Caribou, Maine, will see a high of 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius), significantly above the typical Halloween average of 47 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius).
Buffalo, New York, is poised to break records with a predicted high of 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Celsius). This year’s weather stands in stark contrast to last Halloween when light snow blanketed the area.
The warm spell comes as a relief for trick-or-treaters who would typically bundle up in costumes like Bluey or Beetlejuice. Caitlyn Mensch, a meteorologist from the National Weather Service in Boston, noted that Boston’s temperatures could soar to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, potentially marking one of the warmest Halloweens in the past 80 years.
This year’s conditions are notably different from past Halloweens; for instance, in 2011, a pre-Halloween Nor’easter brought heavy snow to New York’s Hudson Valley. Additionally, in 2012, the region was still recovering from Superstorm Sandy, which caused approximately $65 billion in damages just days before Halloween.
As revelers prepare for the festivities, they are advised to enjoy the warm weather while it lasts. Meteorologists predict a return to seasonal averages starting Friday.
Sources:
[1] https://apnews.com/article/halloween-weather-new-york-northeast-82c61126a7cc3cc617115db1c54851b0
[2] https://www.nbcnews.com/weather/heat/halloween-weather-high-temperatures-records-rcna178057
[3] https://abcnews.go.com/US/snow-record-heat-tornadoes-crazy-us-weather-forecast/story?id=115297532
[4] https://www.newsday.com/news/nation/halloween-weather-new-york-northeast-k01282
[5] https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/31/weather/halloween-warmest-in-decades-northeast/index.html
[6] https://keyt.com/news/2024/10/31/no-trick-halloween-temperatures-soar-above-normal-in-northeast/
[7] https://www.fingerlakesdailynews.com/national-news/forecasters-scare-up-record-high-temperatures-for-halloween-in-the-northeast
[8] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/30/nyregion/halloween-nyc-weather-hot.html