• Editor’s Note: This article was updated Monday, Oct. 29.

So, how cold will it be on Halloween 2018? And will there be rain or (shudder) snow?

Halloween is, of course, on Wednesday this year, and right now, it looks like the forecast is going to be pretty much OK.

“The forecast for Halloween trick or treaters on Wednesday (afternoon) looks much better than the cold temps we had last year,” the National Weather Service Chicago said today (Monday, Oct. 29, 2018). Expect light winds and temps in the mid to upper 50s around school dismissal to gradually cool into the evening.”

The specific forecast for Kane County, IL, is “partly sunny, with a high near 55. North northwest wind around 5 mph.” The night-time forecast is “mostly cloudy, with a low around 38.”

Although the overall outlook is good, it’s still a little too early to say for sure exactly what the weather will be when you and/or your kids will be out trick or treating. (Click this link for a complete list of trick-or-treat hours in Kane County communities.)

But you can get up-to-the-minute forecasts by clicking the following links from the National Weather Service Chicago:

• Current Hazards
• Current Conditions
• Radar
• Forecasts
• Rivers and Lakes
• Climate and Past Weather
• Local Programs

Halloween’s Weather History

According to the NWS-C, most Halloweens see a high temperature of about 50 to 59 degrees, a low in the range of 40 to 49 degrees and no precipitation. Those are the stats that happen most frequently, anyway.

Halloween’s record high is 84 degrees, set in 1950. This was the only time in Chicago’s history that the high temperature on Halloween was in the 80s.

The coldest high temperature on Halloween is 31 degrees, which occurred in 1873. In 2017, the high temperature on Halloween was 40 degrees.

This dataset shows that the most frequent amount of precipitation recorded on Halloween is nada, zip, zero — and that happens 51 percent of the time.

The record amount of rainfall on Halloween occurred in 1994 when 2.26 inches of rain fell. There have been three instances dating back to 1872 where an inch or more of rain fell on Halloween.  In 2017, there was no precipitation on Halloween.

There have been six instances in Chicago’s history where snow has fallen on Halloween, with the only date of measurable snow being on Halloween in 2014. Last year, no snow was recorded on Halloween.

The following statistics comprises 146 years of data. Data collection began at the University of Chicago, then at Midway, and presently at O’Hare which is now the official station for Chicago.

To see the daily climate data for Chicago for Halloween from 1872-Present, click here.

Additional Halloween Climate Date ( * Means Last Occurrence)