When Ghosts Meet Gales: Atlantic Canada's Enduring Love-Hate Relationship with Halloween Weather

Ah, Halloween in Atlantic Canada. Just the thought of it often conjures a very specific image, doesn't it? It’s not always ghosts and ghouls fluttering beneath a crisp, starry sky. More often than not, at least in our collective memory, it’s a flurry of waterproof jackets over costumes, umbrellas struggling against the wind, and perhaps, just perhaps, the tell-tale chill of early snow flurries.

We tell ourselves, year after year, that the weather here on October 31st is simply never good. It's almost a regional rite of passage, a damp pilgrimage for candy. But is this just a shared delusion, a generational grumble passed down through costume-clad kids, or does the data actually back up our perpetually soggy woes? Well, in truth, the numbers from Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Bob Robichaud paint a rather familiar, and yes, often wet, picture.

Let’s talk rain, shall we? Because, honestly, that's the most frequent party pooper. If you’ve ever trick-or-treated in Halifax, there’s a better than 50/50 chance – specifically, 57% since 1871 – that you’ve done it in the rain. An average of 9.2 millimeters might not sound like much, but it’s certainly enough to dampen spirits and, more importantly, costumes. Move over to Charlottetown, and the story is much the same; 55% of Halloweens since 1872 have seen measurable rain, averaging 8.8 millimeters. Moncton, a little less frequently, but still 50% of the time since 1879, with an average of 7.2 millimeters. And then there’s St. John’s, perhaps the rainiest of the bunch, tallying 57% of Halloweens since 1874 with an average of a generous 11.2 millimeters. So, yes, the rain is very much real, folks.

But what about the truly memorable Halloweens? The ones that become legend? I’m talking about snow. While less common, when it does hit, it really sticks – not just to the ground, but in our minds. Halifax, for example, has only seen measurable snow on seven Halloweens since records began, with the big one being 1973, dropping 4.6 centimeters. Charlottetown shares that seven-snow-Halloween tally, with 1993 taking the prize at 7.1 centimeters. Moncton, you could say, has been a bit more "blessed" with winter's early kiss, seeing snow on ten Halloweens, most notably 14.5 centimeters in 1980. And St. John’s, ever the outlier, leads the pack with fourteen snowy Halloweens, including a hefty 10.4 centimeters way back in 1974. Those are the years where the witches truly rode the blustery winds.

So, the next time you're bundling up your little ghoul or goblin, or perhaps just debating whether to grab that extra umbrella, remember this: your feelings about Atlantic Canada's Halloween weather aren't just gloom and doom. They're pretty much historically validated. It seems our cherished memories of perfect, crisp autumn evenings might be fewer than the chilly, damp, or even snowy ones. And yet, we persist, don't we? Because a little weather, even a lot of it, rarely stops the pursuit of candy and costumed joy. Here’s hoping, perhaps against all odds, for a decent one this year. One can dream, right?