The leaves were falling on All Hallow's Eve, but the sun was shining - with some areas along the Seacoast flirting with 70 degrees on the last day of October.

It's hard to know just how to feel about a warm Halloween. Is it setting a precedent for the winter...or is it a warning that something wicked this way comes?

I spoke with longtime Boston meteorologist Mark Rosenthal about the warm weather we’ve experienced in New England this October. One may think a mild fall could indicate similar for the winter. Not so, says the weatherman.

“Here’s a rule of thumb, at least for Boston,” said Rosenthal. “When you get a big snowstorm in Boston in October, more often than not, the rest of the winter is a dud.”

As for skiers, skaters, and others who look forward to the white stuff all summer?

“You really want it to hold off for a while,” Rosenthal continued. “If it holds off, you go, ‘okay, so we have a good shot.’ Nothing extreme is happening where it’s coming so early that we’re all gonna get ripped off for the rest of the winter.”

But to show just how unpredictable October weather is in New England, Rosenthal noted an October snow storm a few years ago that was then followed by a rather heavy winter in the region.

October 2022 was all over the place weather-wise, with meteorologists monitoring a polar vortex early in the month, and trick-or-treaters ditching their winter coats towards the nd.

A polar vortex is a large area of low pressure and cold air surrounding the North Pole and South Pole simultaneously. As the vortex expands, so do regions reporting cold snaps.

The northeast experienced a severe polar vortex in 2014, but most interestingly, also in 1982. This was when Hartford, Connecticut fell to a stunning 9 degrees in October (a stark contrast from record October highs in New England).

So, as we see temperatures remain mild through Halloween…don’t put away that parka just yet. You might need it in April while you’re out hunting for eggs.

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