LANSING, Mich. — We all know the weather this year sucks your blood. Is it the worst, though? Let's take a look back deep into the spooky dark weather coffin and see what we can find. BOO! Thump, thump...
Scattered snow and wind chill values in the 20s are on the docket for Halloween 2023. That brings up the very valid question, "Does it get any worse?" Let's take a look back at weather records that go back into the 1800s and see if we can calm some of our fears, or give ourselves even more of a fright! Bwahahahaha.
Picture this, Lansing, 1875. Halloween was just starting to catch on in the United States according to historians. It was nothing like how we celebrate it today. Which is good because Lansing record its coldest and wettest Halloween during this year. A record that still stands today for how miserable it was. The high temperature was only 33 degrees and it poured rain. Two inches of rain was recorded in fact. Also, this was before electricity even made it to Lansing. The Board of Water and Light states 1892 was the first year the utility was provided. Yuck! Lansing recorded its warmest Halloween in 1950 coming in at 77 degrees. Since 1863, 2% of years on record have measured snowfall, 42% of years on record measured rain, and highs were only below 40 degrees 12 times. Highs were only 70 or above 13 times since 1863 as well.
Let's head over to Grand Rapids where weather records go back to 1892. Grand Rapids also recorded its warmest Halloween on record in 1950 with a high of 79 degrees. The coldest on record was in 1917 when the mercury only rose to 32 degrees! This was also the snowiest year with 1.5 inches measured. The wettest Halloween on record was in 1994 with 1.27" of rain. Since 1892, Halloween has only produced a high of 70 degrees or higher during 10 years on record. Only five years were below 40 degrees. Also since 1892, 3% of years have recorded snow on this date with 48% recording rain. So it is nearly a 50/50 shot at precipitation on October 31st!
Flint, the vehicle city, where records go back to 1921 tells nearly the same story. Warmest was 78 degrees during both 1933 and 1950, coldest was 37 degrees during 1993, and snowiest was 3/4" as recently as 2014. The wettest Halloween in Flint was the year prior, 2013, with 1.19" of rain recorded. 4% of years since 1921 have recorded snow, 40% have recorded rain, two years had a high less than 40 degrees and seven years were warmer than 70 degrees.
I was very curious about up north, though. Let's go to Gaylord! Gaylord has records dating back to 1893 though the site of measurement was moved a bit. Also, 34 years have missing data. Gaylord's snowiest Halloween was recently in 2017 with three inches of snow - this also happened in 1905. Oddly enough some of the coldest Halloween dates on record were recently as well. 1993 and 2020 both had high temperatures of only 30 degrees on October 31st. Only three times was the mercury above 70 degrees and 16 times it was below 40 degrees. The wettest Halloween in the Alpine Village was 1919 with nearly one inch of rain recorded.
So while we are anticipating one of the coldest Halloween days on record for some. There is TECHNICALLY always a time it was worse.
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