Forecasters call for cool, dry Halloween across much of the country

TORONTO — Forecasters say the relatively cool, stable weather conditions expected this Halloween will feel like a particularly festive treat coming on the heels of a tumultuous week in much of the country.

The Weather Network says parts of Ontario and Quebec will be digging out of a snowstorm in the days leading up to Oct. 31, while high winds are expected to batter areas including the Prairies and Atlantic Canada.

Compared to those conditions, chief meteorologist Chris Scott says Halloween will feel like a reprieve across most of the country.

Scott says temperatures are expected to be relatively cool and near average in most of Canada, even in regions that have experienced unseasonable highs for most of the month.

He says most of the country will get a break from major precipitation that day, though bands of snow may still surface north of Fort McMurray, Alta.

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Scott says the areas contending with high winds may not be out of the woods come trick-or-treat day, adding that may pose some complications for Halloween decorators.

“It’s not so much on Halloween day but on the Sunday and Monday leading up to Halloween,” Scott said in a telephone interview. “We will see very strong winds. And depending on where those are … some of these inflatable Frankensteins may be floating down the street.”

Scott said the bulk of the windy conditions will be found in Atlantic Canada, though he said storm systems passing near the Prairies may result in stiff breezes there as well.

The best conditions will be found in British Columbia, Scott said, adding that cities such as Vancouver and Victoria that typically find themselves under cloudy skies this time of year can expect dry weather and seasonably average temperatures. Southern Alberta, which will be feeling the chill from cooler temperatures in the run-up to Halloween, may also find some relief on the day of, he said.

Scott said Canadians from Manitoba through Quebec may be less enthused about the Halloween forecast.

Those provinces have all basked in temperatures well above seasonal norms, he said, with some areas experiencing days at a stretch where temperatures hovered around 20 Celsius.

He said those balmy periods are likely done for the season, with temperatures forecast to revert to average daytime highs of up to around 10 degrees for Halloween.

Scott said parents may want to consider having kids wear an additional layer under their costumes as they adjust to the return to cooler conditions.

Michelle McQuigge, The Canadian Press