DES MOINES, Iowa — If you're trick-or-treating this Beggars' Night, make sure to add a coat to your costume: Halloween 2023 is shaping up to be cold across Iowa.
Following a strong cold front on Friday, Iowa has failed to warm up much to round out October.
Evening temperatures on Monday, October 30, will hover in the mid to upper 30s. A brisk northwest breeze will make it feel like the 20s once the sun sets.
There won't be any rain or snow to worry about on Monday evening, though.
Iowans are no stranger to cold weather on Halloween, either.
For Des Moines, the coldest Halloween (Oct. 31) happened in 1996, when the high temperature only hit 34° at the airport.
Meanwhile, in 1950, Des Moines had an unusually warm Halloween, reaching a high of 86° that afternoon.
This year, the Local 5 Weather Team is forecasting Halloween highs in the mid 30s, thanks in part to cloud cover, flurries, and gusty winds.
That means we'll be awfully close to marking a new record.
Blustery winds will gust as high as 40 mph during the day. Northeast Iowa will also have snow, some of which could reduce visibility and briefly coat roads.
No more than a dusting of snow is expected in that part of the state, but the wind could easily lead to difficult travel conditions.
Central Iowa likely won't see anything more than flurries.
Thankfully, there will be a climb back to the 50s for the first few days of November. We'll actually be flirting with 60° again on Friday.
If you have plans to go trick-or-treating this year, be safe and have fun... and stay warm!