Parents prepare their costumed kids for chilly trick-or-treat; snow possible
The National Weather Service Pittsburgh has issued a freeze warning beginning at 2 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31, that continues until 10 a.m. The rest of Halloween will stay relatively chilly, with temperatures not expected to get above the mid-40s throughout the day.
Luckily for the two children of Lauren Pesci, their Halloween costumes can fit some layers underneath.
“This year we are going to be Power Rangers ... our costumes tend to have a little coverage,” said Pesci, of Butler. “So layers, lots of layers. They'll have masks on too, and as long as it's not raining, I'm not too worried.”
Lee Hendricks, a meteorologist with National Weather Service Pittsburgh, said a cold front will come through Western Pennsylvania starting Monday night, Oct. 30, which could also bring snow to the area on Halloween. The subfreezing temperature will also be made colder by windchill.
“For (Tuesday) evening, we're looking at a temperature with windchill of 37 degrees,” Hendricks said. “By 8 p.m., the temperature will be down to 34, with a windchill sitting about at 28 degrees.”
According to Hendricks, this Halloween is a little colder than the average temperature, which is in the mid-50s for the day. Temperatures in the area will stay low for much of this week, with the lowest point being Wednesday evening, when temperatures drop to the low-20s.
It won’t start warming up until Thursday, but not by much, Hendricks said.
“It will kind of warm up Thursday, with a high in the mid-40s. Thursday night we drop into the upper 20s,” Hendricks said. “We have a warming trend with highs Friday in the low 50s, and warming into the low 50s this weekend.”
Despite the cold temperatures and possibility of snow, Hendricks said the roads will still probably be too warm to be hazardous.
Other parents are preparing their children for a chilly trick-or-treat, too. Lena Cochran, of Chicora, said she is taking her 2-year-old son trick-or-treating for a short time.
“He is going to be a jack o’ lantern,” Cochran said. “We usually trick-or-treat in my sister’s neighborhood. It's basically a lap up and down the street; it's not very long at all, maybe a 10th of a mile. Probably takes about 20 minutes.”
Pesci said her two daughters probably won’t mind the cold, and they are excited to trick-or-treat, no matter what.
“They could care less about the cold. I have to fight them to get them into a jacket,” she said. “I’m putting their warm clothes under the costume, and happily, their costumes come with gloves.”