Trick or heat! It’s not a trick — it really was about 20 degrees warmer than normal this Halloween in the D.C. area.
It’s the third-warmest Halloween since 1946, 7News First Alert Chief Meteorologist Veronica Johnson said.
“This is what it feels like to go trick or treating in Florida,” Johnson said.
D.C.- area airport records inched toward record-breaking, with one being broken at Dulles International Airport where it reached 83 degrees. The old record was 81. Reagan National Airport was 3 degrees short of tying the old record of 85 degrees, clocking in at 82 degrees on Thursday.
The National Weather Service says that “Halloween will be reminiscent of summer in the East, with temperatures 20-30 degrees above normal,” and that is especially true in the D.C. area. Highs were set to climb up to 84 degrees by Thursday afternoon, with evening temperatures in the 70s or upper 60s in the outer suburbs.
“You go back to 1974, it was 80 degrees. It’s been as warm as 85, looking back at the history of Halloweens,” 7News First Alert Senior Meteorologist Brian van de Graaff said. “It’s going to definitely be one of the warmest ones we’ve had in a long time.”
For Halloween revelers, there was no need to carry around a heavy coat to cover up festive costumes this year. Instead, the weather was nice for trick-or-treaters, allowing kids to stay out late collecting candy without catching a cold.
Luckily, conditions will also remain unseasonably warm on Friday, with one or two morning showers in the forecast.
“Maybe a few light showers tomorrow morning,” Van de Graaff said. “Which would break our streak of 30 plus dry days in a row.”
This weekend will be more seasonable, with highs dropping back into the 60s.
Daylight savings ends on Sunday, so you should set your clock back one hour before bed. For some, that means an extra hour to sleep in after a weekend full of fun, spooky activities.
Forecast
HALLOWEEN
Partly to mostly sunny
Highs: 79-85
Winds: Southwest 5-10 mph
Wow! This will likely be the warmest Halloween in 50 years (the high was 80 degrees on Halloween in 1974)! Plan for a sunny and warm day with highs in the low to mid 80s. We’ll likely fall short of the record high of 85 degrees at DCA that was set in 1950. It’s more likely we will tie or break the current record at Dulles, which is 81 degrees that we reached in 2004. Southerly winds will increase late in the afternoon, so plan for a breezy and warm evening for trick-or-treating with the sun setting at 6:08 p.m.
HALLOWEEN NIGHT
Partly to mostly cloudy, breezy
Lows: 64-69
Winds: Southwest 10-15+ mph
An approaching cold front will bring an increase in clouds during the overnight hours. The bigger story overnight will be how mild it will be! Overnight temperatures will fall into the 60s, which is where our high temperatures should be for this time of year.
FRIDAY
Morning clouds, shower chance. Then partly cloudy and warm.
Highs: 75-80
Winds: Northwest 5-10 mph
Clouds are likely to win the day with shower chances between 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. as a cold front moves to the east.
SATURDAY
Mostly Sunny
Highs: 58-64
Winds: Northeast 5-10 mph
The weekend is set to start on a cool note with a mix of sun and clouds and highs around 60.
SUNDAY
Mostly sunny
Highs: near 65
Winds: South 5-10 mph
Daylight saving time ends early Sunday morning. With the return of standard time, the sun will rise Sunday morning at 6:38 a.m. and set at 5:05 p.m. Highs for the day will be near average for this time of year, mainly in the middle 60s.
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