Like some years before, Halloween 2024 had snowfall. However, one Halloween stands out among the rest — Halloween 1991.

At the time, the “megastorm,” as dubbed by a 1991 Minnesota Department of Transportation newsletter, broke the all-time state record for total storm snowfall, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The storm disrupted Halloween festivities and triggered a major snow-plowing effort across the state.

Starting around noon on Halloween 1991, snow began to fall in the Twin Cities and it did not stop for 24 hours, according to the DNR. By the end of the day, over eight inches of snow had fallen.

The first statement about the storm came the day before from the National Weather Service (NWS) on Oct. 30, 1991, warning that snow could be possible the next day.

“Dig out those winter survival kits for your cars,” the NWS statement said. “Plan ahead now for the inevitable snow that Minnesota winters bring.”

By the evening of Halloween, the NWS sent out another statement issuing a blizzard or winter storm warning for most of the state.

“Blowing snow was hampering travel by restricting visibilities and dumping snow back in freeway entrance ramps and other areas,” the NWS statement said. “Travel should be avoided unless absolutely necessary.”

The storm totaled more than 28 inches of snow across the Twin Cities over three days, according to the DNR. 

Children’s typical trick-or-treating was interrupted by the storm, but some families still made do on the unusually snowy holiday.

Plymouth resident Cindy Polson said she fondly remembers her husband pulling their two kids in a toboggan so they could trick-or-treat at a few houses in their neighborhood.

“(The kids) really made a haul, as everyone just dumped candy into their bags,” Polson said.

The storm was not contained to just the Twin Cities region. Duluth received almost 37 inches of snow after being hit by snow for 72 hours straight, according to the DNR.

While the 1991 Halloween Blizzard set records for the time, it was actually beaten out by Halloween 2020 as the snowiest on record for the Twin Cities when over nine inches of snow fell in the Twin Cities, said Peter Boulay, a climatologist with the Minnesota State Climatology Office.

“Bottom line is that climate change or not, we can still get big snows early in the season and sometimes late in the season too,” Boulay said.

While not the largest snowfall, the most devastating blizzard on record in Minnesota occurred on Oct. 16, 1880, Boulay said.

“This remains the earliest blizzard in Minnesota, which struck southwest and west central counties in the state,” Boulay said. “There were huge drifts exceeding 20 feet in the Canby area and lasted until the next spring.”

Boulay said the Halloween 1991 snow blizzard and similar early-season winter storms stand out because they take people off guard.

Todd Krause, a meteorologist for the NWS and NOAA, said with climate change, excessive summer rains have become more frequent, but it may not necessarily mean an increase in October snow. Climate change will make future October weather forecasting more unpredictable.

While it may not compare to the great 1991 Halloween Blizzard, 2024 Halloween’s one to three inches of snow will not be forgotten.