Tricker-or-treaters endure chilly Halloween as Spokane closes in on record-cold October

It was close to freezing with clear skies on Halloween night as trick or treaters braved the cold to collect bucketfuls of candy.

When the sun was just setting at about 5 p.m., it was around 40 degrees, but temperatures fell to 32 degrees by 8 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.

Spokane is on track to have its coldest October in history, said Mark Turner, an NWS meteorologist.

The average October temperature is 43.1 degrees, with the coldest in history at 42.8 in 1905. On the last day of the month, this October is “in contention for the coldest” on record.

Temperatures have touched freezing 12 times so far this month.

October isn’t the first record-breaking month this fall, with last month coming in as the snowiest September. It touched freezing twice over the snowy weekend of Sept. 28 and 29.

Heading into next week, temperatures are expected to rise, Turner said.

“It’s going to warm up by the weekend. We should see temperatures back near normal,” Turner said.

That normal is 50s for the highs, which Turner expects to continue for the first part of November.