Halloween May Be Among Top 5 Coldest, Wettest Ever

The only people excited about Paducah's Halloween weather forecast may be statisticians. Otherwise, the impending combination of heavy rains, then near-record cold could produce a trick-or-treat climate we'd like to forget.



If  the high temperature on Thursday only reaches the currently forecast 48 degrees, it will mark the 5th-coldest Halloween ever in Paducah. The coldest was 43 degrees in 1993. The Halloween high in Paducah has been in the 40s only four times in 80 years. The average high on October 31 is 66 degrees.



At the same time, if rainfall exceeds 1.22 inches Thursday, it will crack the top 5 for Paducah's wettest Halloweens. Last year, Paducah saw 2.4 inches of rain on October 31, but it was also a balmy 71 degrees.



The latest forecast now says Halloween rain could end earlier in the day than previously thought, so the 2- to 3-inch total midweek rainfall expected could occur chiefly on Wednesday. However, when the rain ends, blustery northwest winds will drive Paducah's wind chill down to about 35 during the evening trick-or-treat hours.



The record Halloween low of 24 degrees (also set in 1993) will probably go unchallenged, but if the temperature slips below freezing before midnight Thursday, it will mark --yet again --  one of Paducah's top five coldest lows for the date. Friday morning's low is forecast to be 27.



Temperatures will be slow to recover through the weekend, with another 27-degree low on Saturday morning, and 33 on Sunday.



The normal low in Paducah this time of year is 43 degrees.