As Halloween approaches, rain looms for part of the U.S. from the Deep South to the Great Lakes, threatening unwanted surprises for Halloween parades and trick-or-treating through the holiday.
As may be expected at this time of year, Halloween week is a mixed bag of weather surprises:
• Wednesday evening. Those getting a jump on trick-or-treating Wednesday night will may run afoul of significant problems in the Northeast due to a soaking rain and gusty winds. It will be raining most of the evening in Philadelphia, New York City and Boston, with the steadiest rain gradually moving away from Pittsburgh. There will also be rain and even snow wrapping back into the Upper Midwest, including around Minneapolis. The snow is not expected to accumulate around Minneapolis, but wet snowflakes will be seen.
• Thursday evening. The east will be drier Thursday evening, but showers will be shifting from the western to the eastern Great Lakes. In addition, showers will work through the Rockies and the Four Corners states.
• Friday evening. More adverse weather will return Friday evening with heavy rain and thunderstorms developing across Texas and Oklahoma. Lightning and flash flooding are concerns. Cities at risk for the heavy rain/flash flooding include Oklahoma City, Dallas, and San Antonio Friday evening. While the heaviest rain will be to the south, rain will also spread to Wichita, Omaha, and Minneapolis. A steady and soaking rain will also stream into the Pacific Northwest, including Seattle and Portland, with showers also spreading to the interior Northwest. There will be a shower in Miami, though no threat of rain across the rest of the East Coast.
• Saturday evening. On Halloween Day, the main risks will be in the Deep South and the Northwest. While there may be a lingering shower or thunderstorm in eastern Texas, the greatest concern for downpours, flash flooding, and lightning will be in the Deep South, including New Orleans and Birmingham, Alabama. Periods of rain will put a damper on Halloween plans across the Great Lakes, including in Detroit and Indianapolis. The showers will likely be exiting Chicago Saturday evening. More soaking rain will be streaming into the Pacific Northwest. Some of the rain will be heavy and force the cancellation of Halloween parades, especially around Portland. Some showers will also stretch to the lower elevations of eastern Washington and northern Idaho.
