This week, parents won’t have to worry too much about bundling up their little ones to stay warm while trick-or-treating. That’s because in addition to goblins, ghouls, and probably a lot of Taylor Swifts, Halloween week is also bringing the heat.
The last week of October will start out with above-average temperatures that will spread across the country. “Temperatures will be 15 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit above the historical average in the Plains, mid-Mississippi Valley, and Midwest,” AccuWeather lead long-range expert Paul Pastelok said.
Monday saw unusually warm temperatures in the Upper Midwest and parts of the Southwest and Texas. By Tuesday, the heat wave was making its way east, potentially setting records in Chicago, Indianapolis, and Detroit.
The heat will spread to the Northeast, where it could smash records in cities like Washington, D.C. Mike Thomas, a meteorologist for Fox 5 DC, took to X to pun about the “scary warm” temperatures, noting that it could be the hottest Halloween in fifty years. “Yup. Has that potential,” Thomas wrote. “DC has hit the 80s five times on Halloween day, the last time in 1974!”
New York and New Jersey will likely hit 80 degrees on Halloween, too, which would also “be in at least spitting distance of a few records,” according to the National Weather Service. New Yorkers are typically used to chilly temperatures of around 58 degrees on Halloween night. While the unusual warmth may be spooky, at least costumes won’t be ruined by coats and jackets.
The warmth will extend even further north, too. While Boston started the week with snowflakes, by Thursday, the temperature could be in the high 70s. WJAR reports that Providence, Rhode Island, is likely to have at least the second warmest Halloween on record—the hottest, at 83 degrees, dates back to 1946.
Of course, while the Halloween warmth won’t be bothersome (unless your costume has a lot of padding), it’s hard to ignore how unusual this kind of heat is at the end of October. The warmer-than-normal temperatures, which feel like an extension of summer in some parts of the country, are a reminder that climate change is showing its heat-related effects more intensely each and every year.