Fox_Weather_News's Blog

As Halloween draws near, werewolves, ghosts and costumed kids with mountains of candy are coming, too - but tricks and treats haven't always been the only things the holiday brings along. Past Halloweens have seen a variety of irregular weather phenomena, from over two feet of snow to "the perfect storm."

In 1991, a snowstorm that moved in during the afternoon of Oct. 31 proved daunting for any determined trick-or-treaters in Minnesota. The blizzard would last for three days and break more than five records, leaving the Twin Cities - Minneapolis and St. Paul - covered in 28.4 inches of snow, and Duluth buried underneath 36.9 inches. Cities in the south also experienced an ice storm, making it difficult to clear snow off the roads promptly and resulting in 11 counties being declared federal disaster areas. The weather caused $11.7 million in damage.

Farther east in Gloucester, Massachusetts, a nor'easter was looming that would later become the basis for the book The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger, and its movie adaptation. The storm formed when remnants of Hurricane Grace and an offshore storm in the Atlantic Ocean collided. Signs of the storm first appeared on Monday, Oct. 28 with strong winds, which quickly grew to speeds of 50 knots (about 58 miles per hour) by Oct. 31. The storm lasted until Nov. 2, causing hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of damage. Among the casualties were the six crew members of the Andrea Gail, a swordfishing boat that was bested by the 30-foot waves and 92 mph winds. For a detailed technical explanation of how the storm formed, visit NOAA's National Climatic Data Center entry.

While many Halloween horror movies feature werewolves howling at the full moon, there won't be another full moon on All Hallows' Eve until 2020. The last full moons on Halloween were in 2001 and 1955, respectively.

Even the origin of Halloween can be traced back to elements of weather. History.com says Halloween originated from the Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced "sow-in"), which celebrated the end of summer and the harvest, and the beginning of winter. It was believed that Oct. 31 was the night that ghosts of the dead returned to earth, not only damaging crops as they went, but also helping the Celtic priests (Druids) to make predictions of what was to come in the future.

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Brittany Stoner

Fox Weather Correspondent

Penn State University, Print Journalism and Spanish