Prepare for what could be the warmest Halloween in the DC area in 50 years

Trick or heat! This isn't a trick – it's actually about 20 degrees warmer than normal in the DC area this Halloween.

It's the third warmest Halloween since 1946, said 7News First Alert Chief Meteorologist Veronica Johnson.

“This is what it feels like to go trick-or-treating in Florida,” Johnson said.

Records at the D.C. airport were slowly approaching record high, with one broken at Dulles International Airport, where the temperature reached 83 degrees. The old record was 81 degrees. Reagan National Airport was 3 degrees below the old record of 85 degrees Thursday, reaching 82 degrees.

For Halloween fans, there's no need to carry around a thick coat to cover up festive costumes this year.

The National Weather Service says that “Halloween will be reminiscent of summer in the East, with temperatures 20 to 30 degrees above normal,” and that's especially true for the D.C. region. Highs will climb to as high as 84 degrees Thursday afternoon, with evening temperatures in the 70s or upper 60s in the outlying areas.

“Go back to 1974, it was 80 degrees. It was up to 85 degrees if you look back at the history of Halloween,” said Brian van de Graaff, senior meteorologist for 7News First Alert. “It will definitely be one of the warmest we’ve had in a long time.”

The weather will still be nice for trick-or-treaters, so kids can stay out late collecting candy without catching a cold.

“If you go trick-or-treating tonight, there will only be a few scattered clouds,” Van de Graaff said. “Don’t forget that the sun sets at 6:08 p.m., so it will be very dark. Take care of the kids tonight.”

The weather will also be unseasonably warm on Friday, with one or two morning showers forecast.

“Maybe a few light showers tomorrow morning,” Van de Graaff said. “That would break our streak of more than 30 dry days in a row.”

This weekend will be more seasonal with highs falling back into the 60s.

Daylight saving time ends on Sunday, so you should set your clock back an hour before bed. For some, that means an extra hour of sleep after a weekend of fun and scary activities.

forecast

HALLOWEEN
Partly to mostly sunny
Heights: 79-85
Winds: Southwest 5-10 mph
Wow! This will likely be the warmest Halloween in 50 years (the high temperature was 80 degrees on Halloween 1974)! Plan for a sunny and warm day with high temperatures in the low to mid 80s. We probably won't reach DCA's 1950 record high of 85 degrees. It is more likely that we will meet or break the current record at Dulles, which is 81 degrees, which we achieved in 2004. Southerly winds will pick up late so plan for a breezy and warm evening for trick-or-treating as the sun sets at 6:08 p.m

HALLOWEEN NIGHT
Partly to mostly cloudy, windy
Lows: 64-69
Winds: Southwest 10-15+ mph
An approaching cold front will cause an increase in clouds during the overnight hours. The bigger story overnight will be how mild it will be! Nighttime temperatures will dip into the 60s, where our highs should be for this time of year.

FRIDAY
Morning clouds, risk of showers. Then partly cloudy and warm.
Heights: 75-80
Winds: Northwest 5-10 mph
Clouds are likely to dominate the day with a chance of showers between 7am and 1pm as a cold front moves east.

SATURDAY
Mostly sunny
Heights: 58-64
Winds: Northeast 5-10 mph
The weekend starts cool with a mix of sun and clouds and high temperatures around 60 degrees.

SUNDAY
Mostly sunny
Heights: almost 65
Winds: South 5-10 mph
Daylight saving time ends early Sunday morning. With the return of standard time, the sun will rise at 6:38 a.m. and set at 5:05 p.m. on Sunday morning. Daytime highs will be near average for this time of year, mostly in the mid 60s.

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