How Often Does It Actually Snow in Maine on Halloween?

If you grew up in Maine, wearing your Halloween costume over your winter clothes may not have felt uncommon.

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orange pumpkin on white wooden fence

However, historical weather records show that measurable Halloween snowfall is relatively uncommon in Maine and varies significantly by location.

The Northeast Regional Climate Center’s 2024 review found measurable snow on about 6% of Halloweens in Caribou.

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Kayana Szymczak, Getty Images

snow on camera

Bangor and Portland had no measurable Halloween snowfall in the records covered by that review.

The National Weather Service’s “Halloween Weather over the Years” lists Bangor’s Halloween snowfall record as a trace, meaning too little to measure, compared with 7.6 inches in Caribou in 1959.

a pine tree is covered in snow against a blue sky

Measurable snowfall means enough snow fell to be recorded, while a trace means only a tiny amount fell, so a Halloween without measurable snow could still have included a few flakes.

Caribou’s northern location and colder fall climate also make Halloween snow more plausible there than in much of southern Maine.

Two glowing carved jack-o'-lanterns sitting on a hay bale at night

Snow falling on Halloween differs from snow already on the ground, so snowfall totals alone don't tell us whether trick-or-treaters encountered snow left by an earlier storm.

The years covered by each location’s records also matter, because the findings describe the period reviewed rather than every Halloween in Maine’s history.

John Moore, Getty Images

white snow covered field under blue sky during daytime

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And there you have it! Halloween in Maine can certainly feel wintry, but the snowfall history looks very different depending on where you are in the state.

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