CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A wet Halloween is ahead for much of West Virginia forcing counties and municipalities to postpone trick or treat.
After dry and warm days on Monday and Tuesday, soaking rain was in the forecast for late Wednesday night through Thursday night, according to meteorologists with the National Weather Service, with gusty winds moving in beginning on Thursday afternoon.
The worst of the storms was expected on Thursday evening and night during Halloween trick-or-treat times in many parts of the Mountain State.
In the highest elevations of West Virginia’s eastern mountains, wind gusts could exceed 45 miles per hour between Thursday night and Friday.
Kanawha, Cabell and Putnam counties were among those Tuesday afternoon to change their trick or treat hours from Thursday night to Saturday evening.
“The forecast looks terrible,” Commission President Kent Carper said Tuesday. “The overriding concern is always the safety of the public and in this case small children.”
The commission received overwhelming response on its Facebook page to move trick or treat to Saturday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
“More than 35,000 people viewed our social media poll as to whether we should move Trick-or-Treat to November 2nd,” Commissioner Ben Salango said. “The response was outstanding and we truly appreciate the feedback. Changing the date of Trick-or-Treat to November 2nd will help keep our children safe.”
Carper said three times as many children are struck by cars on Halloween night than any other time. He said bad weather would further reduce visibility.
“I’ll err on the side of safety for the kids,” Carper said. “This is for small children, for their enjoyment. Keep that in mind.”
The City of Charleston moved its trick or treat time to coincide with Kanawha County. Various municipalities and counties across the state were taking similar action.
According to the National Weather Service no widespread flooding is expected Thursday, but creeks and streams could run high putting low-lying and flood-prone areas at risk, forecasters said.
The National Weather Service in Charleston issued the following forecast:
“Behind the front, plummeting temperatures, gusty winds and rain late Thursday and Thursday evening are likely to make a mess of trick or treat, especially east of the Ohio River. Wind-blown leaves will clog drains and aggravate ponding of water on roads, as rainfall totals with this system could be in the two to three inch range.”
Coming up this weekend, what could be the first freeze of the season was possible in some of West Virginia’s low-lying areas on Saturday, Sunday and Monday mornings.