A frightful or delightful Halloween?

 

October often features very nice fall weather

This October will finish both cooler and drier than average in the nation’s capital for the first time since 2022. Halloween is also shaping up to be a dry, but breezy and cooler than average day. That’s in contrast to last year that saw DC’s warmest Halloween since 1950, with a high temperature of 83°.

The nation’s capital will finish the month with three days of 80-degree October warmth. Although that’s within the average of between three and four such days (for the 30-year period of 1995 – 2024), it’s appreciably less than the eight such days in October 2023 and six last October. 

Despite the warm start to October, 11 of the 19 days since October 9 have been cooler than average in the nation’s capital. Although lows downtown fell to 40° on this month’s coolest morning on October 25, Dulles Airport had a low of 30° on the same morning. It hasn’t been at or below freezing at National Airport during the month of October since 1992.

Measurable rainfall has been scarce this month with only 0.48” to date at National Airport. If October were to end today, this month would finish as DC’s eighth driest on record. However, some much-needed rainfall is on tap later this week across the DMV (DC, Maryland and Virginia). That’s particularly good news since moderate to severe drought conditions exist across portions of the DMV. Since the nation’s capital has been so much drier than average so far this month, October finishing as a drier than average month is all but certain given October’s rainfall average of 3.66”. That would make this DC’s fifth consecutive drier than average October. 

However, the dry conditions on Halloween should please trick-or-treaters. But it will also be a chilly Halloween in the nation’s capital with highs only in the upper 50s. That’s similar to Halloween in 2023 when DC had high of only 55°. The last time Washingtonians had measurable rainfall on Halloween was in 2022 with 0.16”. DC’s average high/low temperatures on October 31 are 64°/46°.

Driest Octobers in Washington, D.C. (Source: NOAA)

1. Trace – 1963
2. 0.02” – 2000
3. 0.28” – 1930
4. 0.29” – 1874
5. 0.34” – 1896, 1892
7. 0.40” – 1920
8. 0.44” – 1924
9. 0.53” – 1882
10. 0.59” – 1998
11. 0.65” – 2011
12. 0.66” – 1952
13. 0.67” – 1928
14. 0.69” – 2001
15. 0.75” – 1934
16. 0.79” – 1909, 1879
18. 0.86” – 1918
19. 0.90” – 2016
20. 0.97” – 1901