Most Juneau trick-or-treaters are still waiting for their first dry Halloween.
It’s been 14 years since Juneau last experienced a Halloween free of rain or snow, according to Bob Tschantz, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Juneau. Tschantz said that streak is expected to continue Thursday, with rain forecast before most children will be finished trick-or-treating.
“By about 7 p.m. I think a lot of the rain will be here,” said Tschantz, who added the temperatures will be around the lower 40s.
Are you hoping that the ghosts and goblins will scare off the rain tomorrow?👻Here is a look at the Halloween forecast. Light showers increase from N to S through the evening. Not expecting a soaker but enough to dampen those costumes. 🎃🌧️#akwx .@KTOOpubmedia .@KRBDRadio pic.twitter.com/qL0yjqNBpU
— NWS Juneau (@NWSJuneau) October 30, 2019
More rain is forecast for Friday, Saturday and Monday, with temperatures between the mid-30s and mid-40s. There’s a possibility the first snow of the season will fall Monday night. The extended forecast for the airport calls for a chance of snow and lows in the mid-20s. Tschantz said it’s about a 30% probability the Monday forecast holds.
“There’s still a lot of things that need to be resolved before we’ll know for sure,” he said. “There’s some big differences on our models.”
Should the forecast hold and the capital city receives its first snowflakes, it would match up with Juneau’s historical averages, which are recorded at the Juneau International Airport. The first measurable snow, or snow that accumulates more than 1/10th of an inch, arrives on average Nov. 4, according to a previous Empire article.
More than a few years have bucked that norm though, according to climate records. Over 3 inches of snow fell in 1956 and 1975 on Halloween, according to climate records. More recently, in 2009, there were 0.2 inches of snow on the holiday.
“If you can get cold air in and bring the moisture in, then yeah, you get the snow,” Tschantz said.
Rainiest Halloweens on record
1969 — 0.98 inches
1999 —0.90 inches
1962 — 0.68 inches
1997 — 0.67 inches
1968 — 0.63 inches
Snowiest Halloweens on record
1975 — 4.5 inches
1956 — 3.7 inches
1961 — 0.6 inches
1976 — 0.4 inches
2009 — 0.2 inches
• Contact sports reporter Nolin Ainsworth at 523-2272 or nainsworth@juneauempire.com.
