Halloween Forecast: Weather Will Provide Treats, Not Tricks
By Terry Eliasen, Meteorologist, WBZ-TV Exec. Weather Producer
BOSTON (CBS) – Is it me or have there been a lot more "tricks" than "treats" in recent years on Halloween?
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It all seemed to go downhill starting with that freak October snowstorm back in 2011. Many towns had to postpone or even cancel Halloween due to widespread power outages and drifts of heavy snow.
One year later, in 2012, it was Hurricane Sandy. More delayed or cancelled Halloween celebrations and more disappointed kids. No major weather events in 2013, in fact it was actually kind of mild, but there were some rain drops for the kids to dodge.
Finally, last year was "back to normal" with temps in the 50's dropping into the 40's during trick-or-treat time. Let's hope we have started a new trend.
HALLOWEEN FORECAST
In fact, that is just about the exact forecast for this Halloween. Saturday will be a dry and pleasant day with high clouds streaming in and thickening as the day goes on.
High temperatures on Saturday will top out in the mid-50's during the afternoon. By the time the first wave of kids hit the streets, say around 5 p.m., skies will be partly to mostly cloudy and temperatures will be very typical for late October, around 50 degrees.
No threat for any rainfall, no significant winds, just a drop of a degree or two in temperature each hour. Now that is a treat for kids AND parents!
'SPOOKY' SKIES?
And, I should mention that there is a chance of seeing something extra "spooky" in the sky on Halloween night.
First, in case you missed it, check out my blog from several days ago regarding a near miss with a giant asteroid on Halloween! Talk about burying the lead right?
No worries, Earth is in no danger, but this asteroid is currently the largest known space object to make this close a pass at us until the year 2027. It is about 400 meters wide and will pass about 300,000 miles away, just a bit farther than the moon. You won't be able to see it with the naked eye, you will need a telescope for this one.
But there is a chance of seeing something else cool and creepy in the night sky this Halloween.
How about a meteor shower?
This is by no means a lock, but astronomers say we have a chance at passing through some debris from Comet Encke this weekend. Best chance to see a meteor would be in the hours around midnight, looking towards the constellation Taurus.
Again, not a great show and in fact it may be a no-show, but something to put in the back of your mind. Also, remember that the forecast is for increasing high clouds Saturday night, which may just ruin any chances we had of seeing the asteroid or any meteors.
DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME
By the way, isn't it great to have Halloween on a Saturday? Perhaps I am going against the true spirit of the holiday, but I would vote for Halloween to be on the final Saturday of each and every October. Just my two cents.
And while I am on my soapbox, isn't it about time to put an end to turning the clocks back? I am all for living in a world where Daylight Saving Time lasts all year round!
Sure we get an extra hour of sleep this Halloween night (don't forget we turn clocks back one hour at 2 a.m. THIS Sunday), but just thinking about the sun setting at 4:38 p.m. on Sunday makes me queasy.
I mean isn't November bad enough with the leaves falling off the trees and everything looking bare and brown?
Do we really need to drive home in the dark every night?
Perhaps this is our way of saying, it's November, there is nothing to see here, might as well be dark out?
All I can say with regards to November is thank goodness for Turkey and football!
Follow Terry on Twitter @TerryWBZ
