Trick-or-treaters will be out in force Thursday evening as Wyomingites celebrate Halloween with spooky strolls through their communities. But is there anything to be scared of in the forecast?
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the hordes of minions and Beetlejuice characters roaming the streets will want to dress accordingly. If there’s any shivering that evening, it’ll be from the cold rather than the scares.
“It's going to be one of the colder Halloweens we've had in a while,” said Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day. “By Trick or Treat Time, I think most of the state will be in the 30s and 40s, but I could see some areas in the 20s.”
Scary System Gone
The first half of the week will be dominated by the winter weather system moving across Wyoming on Tuesday and Wednesday. The system could dump up to a foot of snow in some places as it moves from the southwest to the northeast corners of the state.
By Halloween, the snowy system will have mostly moved on. However, its impacts will still be seen and felt throughout Wyoming.
“Most of this system will move out by Wednesday night,” said meteorologist Noah Myers with the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Riverton. “By Halloween night, most of the area will be dry, breezy, and cool.”
Several inches of snow could still cover the ground by Thursday. Day said it’s become cold enough for snow to accumulate, even in lower elevation areas in central Wyoming.
“The first inch or two is going to melt, but after that, it will stick pretty well,” he said. “There will be many areas that will see it stick, not only the grassy areas but the pavement as well.”
Meanwhile, southwest Wyoming should be snow-free by Halloween, if it gets any at all.
“If there is any snow accumulation in Cheyenne and southwest Wyoming, it will be very minor,” said Shelby Fuller, a meteorologist with NWS Cheyenne. “By the time Halloween rolls around, there shouldn't be anything on the ground.”
Boo And Burr
Myers said Halloween’s daytime highs will be in the high 40s and low 50s across most of Wyoming. However, those temperatures will get much colder once the sun sets at 5:57 p.m.
“Most areas will be in the 30s or even cooler by sunset,” he said. “In Sweetwater and Sublette counties, it’ll probably be in the 20s by 6 p.m.”
Day also anticipates much colder temperatures after sunset. He said it will be one of the coldest Halloweens that Wyoming has seen in many years.
“I could see some areas as cold as the 20s, especially areas that get snow out of the current system,” he said. “I don't see a lot of wind, but it's going to be chilly.”
Myers anticipates a “normal Wyoming breeze” across most of Wyoming. That could make things marginally cooler.
“There will be a gusty southwest wind through the day and then continuing into the evening,” he said. “We're definitely transitioning to a much cooler and wetter pattern. Most areas just look cool on Halloween.”
Definitely Drier
While there will be plenty of precipitation on Tuesday and Wednesday, Halloween should be mostly dry for most of Wyoming. Any Wicked Witches need not fear melting while out and about Thursday evening.
“We don't see much in the way of precipitation chances,” Day said. “It’s just going to be cooler.”
Once again, elevation will be a significant factor. Myers said that while higher places have a slightly higher chance of precipitation, there is nothing to fear.
“We could get some rain or snow at the higher elevations, but it's not going to be as widespread as what we're seeing today and tomorrow,” he said. “The more widespread impact will just be cooler temperatures and then a chance of some prescriptions, rain or snow, during the day and into the evening.”
Snow falls across Wyoming, including on the Halloween decorations in yards along Wolcott Street in Casper. (Abby Roich, Cowboy State Daily) 
The T-rex outside the Tate Geological Museum in Cody doesn't seem to be affected by the large, wet flakes of snow falling Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 29, 2024. (Andrew Rossi, Cowboy State Daily) 
It promises to be a chilly time trick-or-treating around Wyoming, with snow falling around the state two days before and exptected to remain. (Bill Sniffin, Cowboy State Daily) 
Snow falls across Wyoming, including on the Halloween decorations in yards along Wolcott Street in Casper. (Abby Roich, Cowboy State Daily) 
Snow falls across Wyoming, including on the Halloween decorations in yards along 10th Street in Casper. (Abby Roich, Cowboy State Daily)
Warmth Be Gone
Post-Halloween, there will be another warm weather rebound for the weekend, but “warm” is becoming increasingly relative at this time of year.
“It won't be as warm as it has been since the beginning of October, but it will get even warmer on Friday,” Fuller said. “We’re looking at highs in the upper 50s across southwest Wyoming, so a bit above average, but not the 70s and 60s that we had prior.”
“It's not going to be warm like it had been the previous several weeks,” Myer said. “If you plan on going out on Halloween, you should probably bundle up.”
Fearful Forecast
Here’s a sampling of what to expect weather-wise across Wyoming on Halloween night. No ghouls, monsters or commercially licensed characters should stay out after midnight, as there’s a chance of snow showers across the Cowboy State.
• Afton: Snow showers, with a daytime high near 43 and an overnight low around 18
• Buffalo: Partly cloudy, with a daytime high near 44 and an overnight low around 27
• Casper: Partly cloudy, with a daytime high near 41 and an overnight low around 26, with wind gusts as high as 28 mph
• Cheyenne: Mostly clear, with a daytime high near 50 and an overnight low around 26
• Cody: Partly cloudy, with a daytime high near 46 and an overnight low around 27
• Douglas: Partly cloudy, with a daytime high near 45 and an overnight low around 23, and wind gusts as high as 20 mph
• Encampment: Partly cloudy, with a daytime high near 43 and an overnight low around 24
• Evanston: Partly cloudy, with a daytime high near 41 and an overnight low around 18
• Gillette: Partly cloudy, with a daytime high near 42 and an overnight low around 24, with wind gusts as high as 24 mph
• Jackson: Snow showers with a daytime high near 41 and an overnight low around 17
• Laramie: Mostly clear, with a daytime high near 46 and an overnight low around 24, and wind gusts as high as 30 mph
• Lusk: Partly cloudy, with a daytime high near 48 and an overnight low around 25
• Pinedale: Mostly cloudy, with a daytime high near 34 and an overnight low around 10, and a 50% chance of snow
• Rawlins: Partly cloudy, with a daytime high near 40 and an overnight low around 25, and wind gusts as high as 35 mph
• Rock Springs: Mostly cloudy, with a daytime high near 35 and an overnight low around 14
• Saratoga: Partly cloudy, with a daytime high near 44 and an overnight low around 20, with wind gusts as high as 30 mph
• Sheridan: Partly cloudy, with a daytime high near 51 and an overnight low around 21
• Thermopolis: Partly cloudy, with a daytime high near 43 and an overnight low around 20
• Wamsutter: Partly cloudy, with a daytime high near 39 and an overnight low around 22, with wind gusts as high as 23 mph
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
