With Halloween just two days away, kids are putting the finishing touches on their costumes and parents are making sure they can withstand the colder temperatures.

According to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), daytime temperatures in Winnipeg on Halloween are expected to be 4 degrees, then drop to minus 7 degrees in the evening.

“We’re not expecting the wind to be too bad, but we’re not really used to this cold in the evenings. Our temperatures have been pretty warm lately, so you might still want to wear that extra layer if you’re outside or being treated,” said Natalie Hasell, a warning preparedness meteorologist at ECCC. .

Hasell said cloudy skies are expected throughout the day, which could always bring some form of precipitation, but he expects that won’t arrive until Friday.

When we look at Halloween over the last 10 years, we see that temperatures have remained mostly positive, ranging between 5.7 C and 2 C. The temperature rose above the 5.7 C mark twice; 7.4 C in 2015 and 10.9 C in 2022.

It also fell below zero twice; In 2017 it was minus 1.9 degrees and last year it was minus 4.2 degrees.

Halloween temperatures in Winnipeg over the past decade.

“Daytime highs are usually around plus 4 degrees. Nighttime temperatures are around minus 5 degrees this time of year. But obviously on average there’s going to be a lot of variability.”

Looking beyond 10 years, the hottest Halloween on record in Winnipeg was in 1903 at 17.8 C, followed by 1999 at 17.7 C.

On the other hand, you have to go all the way back to 1884, when the coldest day on record was minus 15.6 C. 1991 was a close second with minus 15.3 C.

When asked about snow on Halloween, Hasell stated that it snowed a few times in October, but by the time Halloween rolled around, the snow had already melted.

Last year, there was still some white stuff around; about five centimeters. However, it had been a while since snow was seen on Halloween. Hasell said 2006 was the last time it snowed in Winnipeg other than last year, when 12cm of snow fell on the streets of Winnipeg.