Halloween weather in western Wash. not so scary

Many feel Halloween in the Puget Sound area is haunted – by rain. The history of weather data says otherwise.

Reviewing the history of Halloween rainfall at SeaTac Airport since 1945, there have been 17 days or close to 1 in 4 dry days. Combined with only a little rain of .05 inch or less, the relatively dry days jump to over a third of all Halloweens.

Yet, there have been wet Halloweens. The soggiest of them all was in 2015, when 1.3 inches of rain fell. The Halloween of 1990 was also a wet one with just over an inch of rain.

Last year, over a half inch of rain fell but had ended by the all-important evening when the ghosts and goblins were seeking tricks or treats in neighborhoods.

Cloudy and cool for your Halloween forecast but at least scary widespread rain holds off until Wednesday. 🎃 pic.twitter.com/5w6bUYONkG

— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) October 30, 2023

In 1949, the Halloween high temperature soared to 71 degrees at SeaTac Airport, setting the record for the date. The coldest Halloween on record was set in 2006 with a bone-rattling 30 degrees. In Olympia, the record-warm Halloween was also in 1949 at 74 degrees, while the coldest was just a spine-chilling 14 degrees in 2002.

The recent dry but chilly weather is expected to continue on Halloween. Highs will be mild – in the 50s, cooling into the 40s during the evening when scary creatures will be wandering through neighborhoods.

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To top it off, the recent Hunter’s full moon will play peek-a-boo through high clouds, giving the evening an eerie feel to the night. Have a safe and fun Halloween!

Ted Buehner is the KIRO Newsradio meteorologist.