Halloween is almost here! The decorations are up, we have carved the pumpkins, and the kids are getting ready for a night of fun!

Most Halloweens are delightful in Tampa Bay - the only frightful thing being some pumpkins left to rot in the Florida heat. 

There have certainly been some warm and muggy evenings in recent years, but it's usually pleasant in Tampa Bay. We expect that in October when the rainy season ends and cold fronts start to return to Florida.

The kids rarely have to cover up their Halloween costumes with a heavy jacket or worry about carrying an umbrella while they trick-or-treat.

In Tampa, the average high on October 31 is 82 degrees, and the average low is 65 degrees. The record high is 89 degrees, most recently in 2015, and the record low is 43 degrees from 1963. Record rainfall for the date is 2.69 inches from 1985.​

Last year, we had a high of 86 degrees, but dew points were in the 50s and 60s, and it was comfortable in the evening.

Halloween 2019 was very warm and humid. High temperatures were in the upper 80s, and a couple of late-day showers developed ahead of a cold front. The front approached Tampa Bay in the evening, but the cool air didn’t arrive until November 1.

There was nothing spooky about Halloween in 2018, but 2017 was colder. In the morning, we had temperatures in the 40s and 50s in Tampa Bay.

A few spots in the Nature Coast had temperatures in the 30s! It ended up being a sunny day, with highs in the 70s and nice, cool weather for trick-or-treaters.

While most years are dry, Halloween in 1997 was scary. We had tornadoes and flooding, and lightning injured two people that afternoon.

Tornadoes caused damage in parts of Bradenton, Tampa and Mulberry. An F1 tornado in Mulberry damaged several homes and businesses and blew down several power poles in Polk County.

Parts of Tampa Bay had four to six inches of rain, causing localized flooding of streets and leaving cars stalled in the floodwaters.​ The floods caused damage to apartment complexes and homes in Bradenton.

The final warning was at 5:30 p.m. in Polk County, and the rain ended quickly just after sunset.

We are still in hurricane season, and while we are watching one area for possible development in the Atlantic, nothing is brewing near Florida. Last year, Hurricane Zeta made landfall in Louisiana on October 28. 

So, will this year be sweet or spooky? We are looking at a storm system moving through Tampa Bay Thursday and Friday. It will bring us cooler weather for the weekend.

Be sure to get updates with our Weather on the Nines as we get closer to Halloween on Sunday.