FIRST WARNING: Rain is expected on Halloween

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – The WAFB weather team is issuing an initial warning for Thursday (Halloween).

The warning doesn't reflect severe weather concerns so much as it is an additional indication that rain could affect some of your Halloween plans.

After weeks of mostly dry weather, the forecast offers welcome relief from our developing drought.

Unfortunately, the timing isn't ideal as the chance of rain is expected to peak on Halloween. The reason for the increased rain chances will be an approaching cold front, although the front is not expected to actually pass through our area.

Thursday may start with a few scattered showers, but scattered to numerous showers and T-storms are expected through the afternoon. The big question: What about trick-or-treating? The forecast for Thursday evening is mixed, although I'm cautiously optimistic that it won't be a complete bust.

The GRAF model (as of Tuesday evening) shows some significant breaks in rainfall between 5 and 6 p.m. as trick-or-treating is underway in most areas.

In contrast, the European continues to be more aggressive in both rain duration and amounts.

I currently have about a 50% chance of rain at 5pm, slowly decreasing as the evening progresses. Confidence is much higher when it comes to temperatures, with a mild evening expected in the area.

So what should you do at this point? I'd recommend sticking with trick-or-treating plans for now, although targeting the evening isn't a complete disaster. However, keep in mind that rain can still be involved even if there is not a complete washout. Have a “Plan B” ready in case it rains when you are out with your children.

Looking ahead, rain chances remain good through Friday before drier weather returns over the weekend. And don't forget to “fall back” this weekend as Daylight Saving Time officially ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday. Set your clocks back one hour before Saturday. It's also a good time to change the batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

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