Trick-or-treaters will be out in force Thursday night as Wyomingites celebrate Halloween with spooky walks through their communities. But is there anything to fear in the forecast?

According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the hordes of minions and Beetlejuice characters roaming the streets will want to dress accordingly. If there are any chills that evening, it will be of cold rather than fright.

“It’s going to be one of the coldest Halloweens we’ve had in a while,” Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day said. “After Trick or Treat Time, I think most of the state will be in the 30s and 40s, but I could see some areas in the 20s.”

The dreaded system is gone

The first half of the week will be dominated by the wintry weather system moving into Wyoming on Tuesday and Wednesday. The system could dump up to a foot of snow in some places as it moves from the southwest to the northeast corners of the state.

By Halloween, the snow system will be further along. However, its effects will still be seen and felt throughout Wyoming.

“The majority of this system will move out by Wednesday evening,” said meteorologist Noah Myers of the National Weather Service (NWS) Riverton office. “By Halloween night, most of the area will be dry, breezy and cool.”

Several inches of snow could still cover the ground by Thursday. Day said it has gotten cold enough for snow to accumulate, even in the lower elevation areas of central Wyoming.

“The first inch or two will melt, but after that, it will stick pretty well,” he said. “There’s going to be a lot of areas that are going to stick, not just the grassy areas, but the pavement as well.”

Meanwhile, southwestern Wyoming should be snow-free by Halloween, if at all.

“If there is any snow accumulation in Cheyenne and southwestern Wyoming, it will be very light,” said Shelby Fuller, NWS Cheyenne meteorologist. “By the time Halloween rolls around, there shouldn’t be anything on the ground.”

Boo and Burr

Myers said Halloween highs will be in the 40s and 50s across most of Wyoming. However, those temperatures will cool considerably once the sun sets at 5:57 pm

“Most areas will be in the 30s or even cooler by sunset,” he said. “In Sweetwater and Sublette counties, it will likely be in the 20s by 6 p.m.”

The day also anticipates much cooler temperatures after sunset. He said it will be one of the coldest Halloweens Wyoming has seen in years.

“We could see some areas as cold as the 20s, especially areas that are getting snow out of the current system,” he said. “I don’t see much wind, but it will be cool.”

Myers anticipates a “normal Wyoming breeze” across most of Wyoming. That might make things a little cooler.

“It will be a strong southwesterly wind throughout the day and then continue into the evening,” he said. “We are definitely moving to a much cooler and wetter pattern. Most areas look good on Halloween.”

Definitely drier

Although there will be plenty of precipitation on Tuesday and Wednesday, Halloween should be mostly dry across most of Wyoming. Any wicked witch needn’t fear melting while out and about on Thursday night.

“We’re not seeing much in the way of precipitation chances,” Day said. “It’s just going to be colder.”

Once again, height will be a significant factor. Myers said while higher elevations have a slightly higher chance of precipitation, it’s nothing to worry about.

“We could get some rain or snow at higher elevations, but it won’t be as widespread as what we’re seeing today and tomorrow,” he said. “The more widespread impact will just be the cooler temperatures and then the chance of some precipitation, rain or snow, during the day and evening.”

The heat should be off

After Halloween, there will be another return of warm weather for the weekend, but “warm” is becoming more and more relative this time of year.

“It won’t be as hot as early October, but it will warm up even more on Friday,” Fuller said. “We’re looking at highs in the upper 50s in southwest Wyoming, so a little above average, but not in the 70s and 60s that we used to have.”

“It won’t be as hot as it has been for the last few weeks,” Myer said. “If you’re going out on Halloween, you should probably bundle up.”

Scary prognosis

Here’s a sampling of what to expect weather-wise in Wyoming on Halloween night. No ghouls, monsters or commercially licensed characters should stay outside after midnight as there is a chance of snow showers in the Cowboy State.

• Afton: Snow showers, with a daytime high near 43 and an overnight low around 18

• Buffalo: Partly cloudy, with a daytime high near 44 and an overnight low around 27

• Casper: Partly cloudy, with a daytime high near 41 and an overnight low around 26, with wind gusts as high as 28 mph

• Cheyenne: Mostly clear, with a daytime high near 50 and an overnight low around 26

• Cody: Partly cloudy, with a daytime high near 46 and an overnight low around 27

• Douglas: Partly cloudy, with a daytime high near 45 and an overnight low around 23, with wind gusts as high as 20 mph

• Camp: Partly cloudy, with a daytime high near 43 and an overnight low around 24

• Evanston: Partly cloudy, with a daytime high near 41 and an overnight low around 18

• Gillette: Partly cloudy, with a daytime high near 42 and an overnight low around 24, with wind gusts as high as 24 mph

• Jackson: Snow showers with a daytime high near 41 and an overnight low around 17

• Laramie: Mostly clear, with a daytime high near 46 and an overnight low around 24, with wind gusts as high as 30 mph

• Lusk: Partly cloudy, with a daytime high near 48 and an overnight low around 25

• Pinedale: Mostly cloudy, with a daytime high near 34 and an overnight low around 10, and a 50% chance of snow

• Rawlins: Partly cloudy, with a daytime high near 40 and an overnight low around 25, with wind gusts as high as 35 mph

• Rock Springs: Mostly cloudy, with a daytime high near 35 and an overnight low around 14

• Saratoga: Partly cloudy, with a daytime high near 44 and an overnight low around 20, with winds gusting to 30 mph

• Sheridan: Partly cloudy, with a daytime high near 51 and an overnight low around 21

• Thermopolis: Partly cloudy, with a daytime high near 43 and an overnight low around 20

• Wamsutter: Partly cloudy, with a daytime high near 39 and an overnight low around 22, with wind gusts as high as 23 mph

Andrei Rossi can be contacted at [email protected].