Spooky Heat Wave: Halloween in Eastern Iowa is warmer than usual

It's the time of ghosts, goblins, ghouls and… jackets. Well, usually at least one Light Jacket, right?

While we've had hard freezes and cool nights, we're 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 say, “The signs are pointing to yes.”

Early Halloween predictions

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

With that in mind, early forecasters are predicting a high in eastern Iowa (I'm using Cedar Rapids as my location, but Waterloo was almost identical). Our weather friends at KCRG-TV 9 are predicting a high of 62 degrees and a low of 40 degrees for Halloween.

Weather.com's 10-day outlook also shows a similar result, a high of 61 with the same forecast 40 lows.

The only truly radical departure from these forecasts is my own iPhone weather app, which puts the high temperature in Cedar Rapids at a whopping 72 degrees. Nevertheless, the low is about the same level as the others.

No matter what early forecast you choose, it will be MUCH warmer than last year. In case you don't remember, our high was around 38 in Eastern Iowa in 2024. Our low won't even get that low if these projections are correct. This means your child will likely be able to wear their costume without additional layers.

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

They are calling for temperatures to be above average next month.

A snowy winter is still predicted, but sometimes the warmer temperatures actually bring more snow. After all, at -27 degrees it's really hard to get a lot wet and snow heavily, right?

Enjoying the Halloween season and perhaps a scenic drive through Iowa?