Parts of the southwestern and central part of the country are likely to face storms across the Halloween period, according to a new forecast produced by AccuWeather.
The forecast predicts storms across central Texas, western Oklahoma and western Kansas on October 30, though conditions further east should be “pleasant.”
On Halloween itself showers are forecast from Texas to Iowa. Dry conditions are expected for the remainder of the country, bar some areas along the West Coast, though it could get cold in the Northwest around Idaho and Montana.
The Old Farmer's Almanac forecast “chilly conditions” across much of the U.S. on Halloween, with its executive editor Heidi Stonehill recently telling Newsweek there could also be some snowfall in the Upper Midwest and Alaska.
Southern Storms
According to AccuWeather, storms are expected on October 30 across a swath from southern Texas to parts of southern Nebraska. This will cover central Texas, eastern Oklahoma including the state’s panhandle, and a small eastern slice of Colorado.
However, these should dissipate by Halloween itself on October 31, to be replaced by showers expected over a wider area. This will include nearly all of Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma along with western Arizona, southwestern Utah and eastern parts of Louisiana and Arkansas. Further north this area of wet weather will extend to Iowa, nearly reaching the border with Minnesota, and southwestern parts of Wisconsin.
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Northwest Cold
AccuWeather forecasts cool conditions across the western U.S. on October 30, then a chilly patch on Halloween encompassing Idaho, much of Montana and Wyoming, northern Utah and Nevada and eastern parts of Washington and Oregon.
According to Stonehill, the Upper Midwest should be “mild with rain and snow showers” while Alaska will be “cold with snowy periods in all areas of the state except the panhandle, which will be mild with rainy periods.”
Showers are however forecast by AccuWeather in southern California as well as a western strip of Washington and Oregon.
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Dry and Comfortable East
AccuWeather predicts “pleasant” weather for October 30 for a large swath of the eastern and southern U.S., stretching from western Texas all the way to Pennsylvania, though with southern and central Florida exempt and expecting showers.
This area will reach as far west as eastern parts of Oklahoma and Kansas, though showers are expected further north in South Dakota and the Great Lakes region.
On Halloween itself the warm area shrinks somewhat to an area from eastern Mississippi in the south to North Carolina and southern parts of Kentucky in the north, with southern Florida again expected to see some showers.
Cool West
Cool weather is forecast for a swath of western states on October 30, from Arizona and California in the south to Washington and Montana in the north.
Much of this area should remain mild on October 31 though colder weather is expected in the Upper Midwest and showers for eastern Arizona, southern California and western parts of Washington and Oregon.
El Niño Impact
The world is currently facing a potentially unprecedented El Niño, a climate pattern that produces warmer waters in the Pacific, according to meteorologists. Over the winter this is expected to result in wetter conditions in the southern U.S. and drier and warmer conditions in the north.
FOX Weather meteorologist Bob Van Dillen previously told Newsweek that “this El Niño is a powerful one that will rearrange the fall and winter patterns across the continental U.S.”
Van Dillen said this climate pattern could result in more storms for Texas and Florida, adding: “The very warm equatorial Pacific waters are currently helping to energize the subtropical Jetstream and draw it farther south than usual—and most of the weather disturbances will follow along underneath it like a stormy conga line.”
Newsweek reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Anthony Murray and Matthew Robinson.