No rain scare this Halloween: Western Washington forecast looks dry

Many feel Halloween in the Puget Sound area is haunted — by rain. Historical weather data shows that is not always the case.

Since 1945, 17 Halloweens at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport have been dry. Including those with five-hundredths of an inch of rain or less, relatively dry Halloweens account for more than a third of the total.

Yet, there have been a number of wet Halloweens. The soggiest of them all was in 2015 when 1.30 inches of rain fell. The Halloween of 1990 was also a wet one with just over an inch of rain.

Last year was also one of those wet Halloweens when about 6 tenths of an inch of rain fell, making for a soggy evening for ghosts and goblins seeking neighborhood trick-or-treats.

Halloween temperatures

In 1949, the Halloween high temperature soared to 71 degrees at SEA, 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 with 74 degrees, while the coldest was a spine-tingling 14 degrees in 2002.

Halloween this year

This year’s Halloween looks to be dry but cool after a week of showers.

Daytime temperatures Saturday are expected to rise into the lower to mid-50s across much of western Washington.

By evening, though, temperatures are likely to drop into the 40s as scary creatures wander the region.

Have a safe and fun Halloween!

Ted Buehner is the KIRO Newsradio meteorologist. Follow him on X and Bluesky. Read more of his stories here.