From early snow to short-sleeve weather, some past Halloweens rolled out the tricks and treats

Imagine navigating snowbanks on the one big night children look forward

Kids maneuver their way over snow during a daytime trick-or-treating event in Athol, Mass., on Oct. 31, 2011, a couple of days after a storm brought some early-season snow to Southern New England, canceling nighttime festivities.Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff

Even though we’re lined up for a quiet and seasonable Halloween this year, you all know the weather in New England can be very dynamic, especially as we head into winter.

We saw Halloween rain just last year, but thankfully no soaking rain or other tricks are in the forecast Saturday night. The chill in the air is the only thing parents and kids have to worry about, since Halloween evening should stay dry and clear all night. Temperatures should settle in the low to mid-40s across Southern New England just after sunset.

But the weather doesn’t always cooperate. Past Halloweens have seen everything from rain to windy conditions, and even an early dose of snow.

Here are a few bone-chilling Halloweens, some dating way back, across Greater Boston:

• Snow on Halloween? Yep. It happened once, according to the weather record books. A trace of snow fell on Halloween in 1913.

But I’m sure many of us remember “Snowtober” in 2011, when a nor’easter dumped plenty of snow across the region a couple of days before Halloween, knocking out power to thousands of households and businesses across Massachusetts. Many communities even canceled Halloween.

Then there was 2020, when 4 to 6 inches of snow fell on Halloween Eve from Boston to Western Mass., leaving many kids to trick-or-treat in the snow the next evening.

A line of snow-draped characters wait for Halloween in Wayland on Oct. 30, 2020.David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

A Halloween storm brought down power lines, wreaking havoc across Massachusetts a couple of days before Halloween 2011. Nighttime trick-or treating was canceled or postponed due to the snowy conditions, so many towns like Athol, above, held daytime events. Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff

A tree is seen snapped in the front yard of an Andover home on Oct. 30, 2011, after a snow and wind storm came through New England.Jim Davis

• Halloween cold: In 1904, the mercury plunged all the way to 27 degrees in Boston. There have been 12 other times when Halloween turned frozen. The most recent? 2020, when temperatures only reached a high of 44 in the Boston area.

• Halloween heat: We’re only two years removed from the second warmest Halloween on record — which topped 78 degrees in 2024. But only once have the temperatures broken into the 80s, reaching 81 degrees in 1946.

• Rain on Halloween: Just last year, we picked up a tenth of an inch. But in 1939? A soaking 2.5 inches made for a miserable night for trick-or-treaters.

• “Perfect Storm” nor’easter: Remember the 1991 Halloween nor’easter, or as many of us remember as “The Perfect Storm”? That storm caused widespread coastal damage across New England and canceled any outdoor plans for much of the region.

A 7-year-old boy shovels the walk in front of his family's Lexington home on Halloween 2011 with the hopes that trick-or-treaters will come despite the citywide postponement of Halloween due to the snow and power outages.Dina Rudick/Globe Staff

We’ve seen plenty of weather twists this fall, so it’s nice to look forward to a refreshingly quiet Halloween this year. High pressure in control, rain chances virtually nonexistent in the forecast, although it will be chilly across Southern New England.

So stock up on candy and enjoy whatever festivities you may be taking part in; I’ll be stomping around the neighborhood with the little one as a dinosaur. Roar!

Snow-covered pumpkins sat on the stoop of a home on Park Avenue in Arlington Heights on Oct. 28 2011.Wendy Maeda