With rain in the forecast, some towns consider the unthinkable: rescheduling Halloween
It’s a recipe for a Halloween disaster.
By now, you may have seen the forecast, and you know the weather isn’t looking too ideal for everyone’s favorite spooky holiday.
Much of the eastern part of the country will see rain on Halloween, while parts of the Midwest and the Great Lakes are scheduled to get some snow.
For trick-or-treaters, i.e. all of us, this is a sticky situation. Do you deal with the weather or — gasp! — reschedule the holiday? Towns across the US are having this very debate.
A necessary move?
One such city is Spencer, West Virginia. Trick or treat in the city and most of the county was changed to Saturday on account of the weather.
Spencer made the announcement on Facebook and, while some praised the decision, one commenter expressed disdain.
“So needless to say anyone who wanted to take you children and requested the 31st off … ain’t gonna be able to now thanks Spencer for that,” wrote Cody Cain.
But the city defended the move, saying trick-or-treaters wouldn’t have been able to go out anyway because of the anticipated storm.
“Maybe take some candy to a family member’s house, pop some popcorn, and watch “The Nightmare Before Christmas” with the kids or something?” the city suggested.
Children’s safety at risk, some cities say
Nelsonville, Ohio, moved its celebration to Friday, as did Muncie, Indiana.
Like Spencer, Muncie defended the switch, too, citing safety concerns.
“We understand that this is difficult for parents, but our priority is the safety of the children running around in wind and rain and snow who could possibly be hit by a car that cannot either see them because of the weather conditions or stop in time because of the slick conditions,” the city wrote on Facebook.
Other towns and cities — such as Hammonton, New Jersey — also pointed to safety concerns in their decision to move Halloween, in their case to Wednesday.
But is letting Halloween get rained out that bad?
But not everyone thinks the rescheduled dates are necessary.
In a piece for NJ.com, journalist Jessica Beym compared rescheduling Halloween due to rain to rescheduling Christmas because of a blizzard.
“I can’t be the only parent in New Jersey who would happily see Halloween be a wash-out — if only to avoid the unnecessary candy overload — or would have no problem letting the kids run around in the rain,” she wrote. “They’re kids. They’re not going to melt.”
What’s actually happening with the weather?
This is pretty normal weather for this time of year, said CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward.
Basically, there’s a cold front moving across the country from the West, Ward said. Rain and snow are along the front, which is why so many places along the Eastern Seaboard are experiencing the not-Halloween-friendly weather.
The front will push off the shore overnight, so Friday and Saturday should be safe for trick or treating, if people can brave the cold.
