Halloween on the record
Halloween in La Porte County falls right at the turn of the season. Some years it feels like early fall. Other years it feels like winter came a few weeks early. The records kept by the National Weather Service, and reported by our area TV stations, show both kinds of Halloween, sometimes in back-to-back years.
A quick word on where the numbers come from. The Halloween records quoted most often around here come from long-running official stations such as South Bend, Fort Wayne and Chicago O’Hare, plus storm summaries written by forecasters after big events. We only list a number on this page if we could confirm it in at least two reputable places. When sources disagree, we say so.
2013: a soaking Halloween night
Around Halloween 2013, a strong storm system and cold front crossed northern Indiana, bringing heavy rain and gusty winds on October 30 and 31. The National Weather Service office for Northern Indiana, which covers La Porte County, wrote up the storm afterward. Fort Wayne measured 1.73 inches of rain, its wettest Halloween on record. WANE-TV in Fort Wayne still lists that 1.73 inches as the city’s top Halloween total.
The NWS storm summary also lists rain gauge readings from here in La Porte County. We have left those exact readings off this page, because we could only find them in that one source, and our rule is two. If you kept your own rain gauge that night, you probably remember it.
A rainy Halloween is more than an inconvenience. Wet leaves make sidewalks slick, and leaves in storm drains can leave water standing in the street right where kids cross. Our storm patterns pages explain how heavier rain and flooding usually set up in northwest Indiana.
2014: a gale off Michigan City
One year later, Halloween 2014 brought wind instead of rain. The NWS Chicago summary of that storm lists a 67 mph gust over the lake about three miles west-northwest of Michigan City late that morning. ABC57 reported the same 67 mph gust, over Lake Michigan two miles northwest of Potawatomi Park. On land, the Gary airport recorded a 69 mph gust, according to both NWS Chicago and the Midwestern Regional Climate Center.
Far out in the middle of the lake, a NOAA buoy measured waves of 21.7 feet, one of the highest readings ever taken there. Both NWS Chicago and the climate center ranked it near the top of that buoy’s record. Those were open-water waves many miles from shore, not waves at Washington Park. Still, a day like that is a reminder that a stormy Halloween is no time to walk the beach, the breakwater or the pier. Our Lake Michigan page has current lake conditions.
2019 and 2023: snow for trick-or-treat
Measurable snow on Halloween is unusual in the long records for both South Bend and Chicago. Even so, recent years have brought two snowy Halloweens worth remembering.
In 2019, snow fell across the Chicago area on Halloween. O’Hare Airport measured 3.4 inches, the snowiest Halloween in Chicago’s records, according to NWS Chicago and CBS Chicago. The old snowfall record for the date was a tenth of an inch, set in 2014.
In 2023, it was our turn. South Bend measured 1.4 inches of snow on Halloween, as both ABC57 and WISH-TV reported. WISH-TV called it South Bend’s second-snowiest Halloween on record. WISH-TV reported measurable snow across northern Indiana that day, and local outlet Hometown News Now reported snow falling in La Porte County that morning.
South Bend’s Halloween snow record is 1.6 inches. The two sources we found don’t agree on the year: WSBT lists 1956, and ABC57 lists 1954. So the honest answer is that the record was set in the 1950s.
What a typical Halloween looks like
Those are the wild ones. Most Halloweens are much quieter. NOAA’s official 1991–2020 climate normals for the South Bend airport put the normal October 31 high at about 55 degrees and the normal low at about 37. ABC57 gives the same 55 and 37 for South Bend.
These are South Bend numbers, not La Porte numbers, but they give a fair picture of a normal late-October evening in our corner of Indiana: cool, jacket weather, with temperatures somewhere between those two marks once the sun goes down. A warm, dry Halloween happens. So does a raw, rainy one. The records above show the range can be wide.
For daily normals, records and sunrise times, see our almanac.
Planning around Halloween weather
- Leave room for a warm layer. Pick a costume that fits over a sweatshirt or coat. The CDC notes that people can get dangerously chilled even above 40 degrees when they are wet from rain or sweat.
- Plan for rain. A hooded rain shell, boots and a dry change of clothes for when the kids come home go a long way.
- Stay off the lakefront on windy nights. Big waves and strong gusts make the beach and pier dangerous, even for a quick photo.
- Check the forecast that afternoon. Halloween weather can change quickly in late October.
This page is weather history, not a forecast. For official watches, warnings and advisories, check our emergency page. And if you remember a wild Halloween we didn’t mention, we’d love to hear about it.
Questions
What is the normal Halloween temperature near La Porte?
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the South Bend airport put the normal October 31 high at about 55 degrees and the normal low at about 37. ABC57 lists the same numbers.
Has it ever snowed on Halloween in La Porte County?
Yes. On Halloween 2023, snow fell in La Porte County, and South Bend measured 1.4 inches, its second-snowiest Halloween on record. South Bend’s record, 1.6 inches, was set in the 1950s; sources disagree on the exact year.
What was the windiest recent Halloween near Michigan City?
On Halloween 2014, NWS Chicago and ABC57 both reported a 67 mph gust over Lake Michigan just off Michigan City, and a mid-lake buoy measured waves of 21.7 feet.
Is this page a forecast?
No. It is weather history. For official alerts, check the emergency page.
Sources: NWS Northern Indiana: Halloween 2013 rain and wind · NWS Chicago: October 31, 2014 wind and waves · NWS Chicago: October 30-31, 2019 snow · NOAA NCEI: 1991-2020 daily normals, South Bend airport (Oct. 31) · ABC57: The winds were howling this Halloween (2014) · WISH-TV: Halloween brings a trace of snow to Indianapolis, measurable snow in northern Indiana (2023) · CBS Chicago: Thursday marks Chicago's snowiest Halloween ever (2019) · WANE: Fort Wayne's Halloween weather history