This post examines the dramatic range of Halloween weather across Minnesota, drawing from a CBS Minnesota report by meteorologist Adam Del Rosso.
It highlights record-setting storms, unusually warm Halloweens, and how recent years fit into a long history of extremes.
This context is useful for residents, planners, and anyone curious about why Halloween weather in Minnesota is so famously unpredictable.
Minnesota’s Halloween Weather: A History of Extremes
Minnesota’s climate produces some of the nation’s most colorful seasonal swings.
Halloween is a day when those swings become obvious.
From epic blizzards to record warmth, the holiday has produced memorable weather events.
These events still inform local expectations today.
Iconic storms and surprising warmth
1991 Halloween blizzard: Perhaps the most famous Halloween event, this storm dumped more than eight inches of snow on October 31, 1991.
An additional 20 inches fell in the days that followed.
The storm halted travel and disrupted communities.
It remains a benchmark for late-season severe snow in the Upper Midwest.
1950 heat wave: At the opposite extreme, Halloween 1950 saw temperatures reach 83 degrees in parts of Minnesota.
It was warm enough to melt trick-or-treat candy and showed that late-October warmth is also possible.
Historic cold records: The coldest recorded Halloween low was a biting 15 degrees in 1878.
The coldest high was only 26 degrees in 1873.
Nearly half of all recorded Halloweens have seen temperatures drop below freezing.
This underscores how often chills replace thrills on October 31.
Recent years: The 2023 and 2024 Halloweens show how volatile conditions remain.
In 2023, nearly two inches of snow accumulated across parts of the state.
In 2024 the Twin Cities experienced their wettest Halloween on record with just over 1.25 inches of precipitation.
The season’s first measurable snow — 0.2 inches — marked the second consecutive Halloween with measurable snowfall.
Only eight Halloweens in state records have produced measurable snowfall.
Snowy Halloweens are notable but not common.
The frequency of below-freezing nights keeps the possibility alive every year.
What these extremes mean for residents and planners
From a practical standpoint, Minnesota’s Halloween record tells a straightforward story: be prepared for a wide range of conditions.
Whether you’re responsible for event planning, municipal services, or simply getting kids to trick-or-treat, the variability demands flexibility.
Quick preparedness checklist:
As an atmospheric scientist with 30 years of experience, I emphasize that these records are not curiosities alone.
They guide risk assessment and community resilience.
The 1991 blizzard remains a case study in rapid impacts from an early-season storm.
Recent wet Halloweens highlight that precipitation can arrive as rain, freezing rain, or snow — sometimes within the same event.
Here is the source article for this story: 1991 wasn’t the only year of ghoulish Halloween weather. Here’s a look back at other Halloween weather extremes.