Slight warmup and rain showers forecast for Anchorage through Halloween

Slightly above-average temperatures are forecast for Anchorage over the next few days, bringing some rain and mild weather though Halloween.

For much of the next week, clouds, rain showers and highs in the 40s are expected in the Anchorage area due to a high-pressure system, according to the National Weather Service.

Trick-or-treaters can expect some rain showers and may not to need to bundle up as much as usual, based on the forecast.

“We’ve already sort of lost our sunshine, and we’re getting the clouds coming in,” Eddie Zingone, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Anchorage, said Saturday. “For Halloween, we’re looking at a chance of rain and temperatures in the low to mid 40s for Anchorage.”

That’s slightly above average for the last day of October, Zingone said, though in Anchorage, Halloween temperatures are often all over the place: Last year, the high was 27 degrees with some snow on the ground; in 2021, temperatures were in the high 40s.

Slick road conditions will also be possible in the evenings as temperatures drop and the rain freezes, added meteorologist Nicole Sprinkles, who said it might be time for Alaskans to change over their tires if they haven’t already.

The latest warmup follows a recent spell of cold, clear and sunny days in the Anchorage area that have sparked interest in ice skating, in town and within hiking distance, from Potter Marsh to Rabbit Lake.

[Watch: Alaskan Keegan Messing shows off his Olympic figure skating moves at Rabbit Lake]

The rising temperatures over the next week could make ice skating conditions less stable, Zingone said.

“I think my concern is that this next week, we’re going to have enough areas where we warm up some that what may have been accessible last week may not be accessible this next week,” he said.

Zingone said that while many lakes in town now have started to freeze over, ice temperatures this time of year are typically higher than they are later in the winter, and more susceptible to melting.

“Basically, I’d be really, really careful about trying to get on skates this time of year, and especially in the next week where it’s going to get more mild. I get real nervous about anyone trying to get on the ice in October,” he said.

Earlier this week, an ice skater at Westchester Lagoon self-rescued after he fell through the ice, which Zingone said can happen easily this time of year, even when the ice appears solid. He said many factors go into ice conditions, and it’s not always easy to tell when conditions are safe for skating.

“It’s so early, and the ice itself is not very cold even if it’s solid, so it’s going to be very sensitive to melting when it warms up,” Zingone said.

According to the Army Corps of Engineers, ice skating is safest when the ice is at least 2 inches thick, and other agencies advise 4 or more inches of ice thickness as a good rule of thumb. Carrying and knowing how to use safety gear such as rescue picks or ice claws, ropes, helmets, ice screws and a pole for probing is generally advised for skating on unmaintained ice.