Tampa Bay will get a hotter, drier Halloween weekend than usual

Trick-or-treaters should take care that their chocolate candy doesn’t melt this weekend. Above-average temperatures are expected to haunt the Tampa Bay area as spooky celebrations kick off.

Typical late-October high temperatures hover around 84 degrees in the area, said Ross Giarratana, a meteorologist with the National Weather’s Service Tampa Bay office. This weekend, forecasters predict temperatures will be about 5 degrees above normal.

“It looks like it should be a pretty warm weekend — even for Florida standards,” he said. “Maybe some lighter costumes are going to be a better choice given the temperatures.”

Dry air is expected to stay through the weekend, but moisture should return to the atmosphere on Sunday, Giarratana said. Breezy wind conditions will also calm down locally, decreasing to 8 to 12 mph, with the occasional stronger gust.

While the holiday weekend might leave some hot under the collar, forecasters say a cool front could blow in around Tuesday — the date Halloween actually falls this year.

That would drop temperatures down to a high of 80 degrees, more typical of early November weather, Giarratana said.