‘Tis the season of ghosts, goblins, ghouls and…coats. Well, normally at least a light jacket, right?

Although there has been a hard freeze and cold nights, we are in the midst of a warmer than average fall in Eastern Iowa.

But will Halloween be spookily warm? It’s a little too early to know for sure, but Magic 8 Ball seems to be saying, “The signs point to yes.”

Early Halloween Predictions

As I write this, it is Tuesday, October 22. More than a full week before Thursday, October 31, aka Halloween. Obviously, Halloween is an evening/night holiday, and it is always cooler at night.

With that in mind, early forecasters are calling for a high in Eastern Iowa (with Cedar Rapids as my location, but Waterloo was virtually identical). Our weather friends at KCRG-TV 9 are predicting a high of 62 degrees on Halloween, with a low of 40 degrees.

Weather.com’s 10-day forecast also shows a similar result: a high of 61 with the same forecast low of 40.

The only really wild deviation from these predictions is my own iPhone weather app, which lists the highest temperature in Cedar Rapids as a whopping 72 degrees. Still, the low point is about on par with the others.

No matter which early forecast you go with, it will be MUCH warmer than last year. In case you don’t remember, our high was about 38 in Eastern Iowa in 2024. Our low won’t even get that low if these predictions are correct. This means your child can likely wear their costume without the need for additional layers.

As for the above-average trend, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or the more pleasant acronym NOAA, says it will stay warm.

They call for leaning “above” the average temperature next month.

It’s still forecast to be a snowy winter, but sometimes those warmer temperatures bring even more snow. After all, when it’s -27, it’s really hard to get a lot of wet, heavy snow, right?

Enjoy the Halloween season and maybe a scenic drive in Iowa?