Brace for a bone-chilling Halloween — and maybe snow

Expect an extra fright on Halloween night: It’s going to be a cold one.

High temperatures in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City will be in the upper 30s, thanks to a strong cold front that moved through the area overnight Monday. By 7 p.m., temperatures will drop to 32 degrees. By 9 p.m., they’ll sink to the upper 20s. Wind chills will be in the 20s.

There’s even a chance for snow showers earlier in the day. From rush hour to 10 a.m., a quick dusting may fall across Eastern Iowa. Areas farther north have higher chances of any snow accumulation.

There should be sustained winds between 10 and 20 mph. Gusts may reach up to 40 mph through the early afternoon, sending wind chills to the teens. Winds will drop off to 10 to 15 mph by the evening, with some gusts reaching 20 mph.

“Be prepared for the colder weather if you’re going out during the day, and also the potential for the snow showers at rush hour,” said meteorologist David Cousins of the National Weather Service Quad Cities Bureau. “Use caution or allow for more time to travel in the morning if it’s snowing.”

The coldest high temperature on record for Halloween in Cedar Rapids was 29 degrees in 1917. The coldest low temperature was 12 degrees in 1925.

Brittney J. Miller is the Energy & Environment Reporter for The Gazette and a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.

Comments: (319) 398-8370; brittney.miller@thegazette.com