Phoenix hasn’t seen rain on Halloween in nearly 40 years; will weather play tricks this weekend?

Phoenix hasn’t seen rain on Halloween in nearly 40 years, but that streak could end this weekend.

Ahead of forecast storm activity, the National Weather Service put central Arizona under a flood watch from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday.

“We are definitely going to be worrying about flooding issues in the foothills areas north of and east of Phoenix,” Chris Kuhlman, a weather service meteorologist, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Thursday morning. “Right now we have the flood watch for Friday, but we anticipate issuing another one for Sunday.”

Kuhlman said Arizonans do not have to worry about a replay of the type of storm activity that produced three tornadoes in the northern part of the state last week, although more hail is not out of the question.

Wetter weather is anticipated this upcoming weekend, with the best rain chances focused Fri & Sun and a lull in activity likely during the day Saturday. Daytime highs will cool from near normal during the middle of this week to near 10°F below normal by Sunday. #azwx #cawx pic.twitter.com/U9WGCqqKEt

— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) October 28, 2026

“The atmospheric conditions do not support the severe setup like we had a week ago,” he said. “But we could see, maybe, hail of half an inch to an inch in diameter in a few spots, maybe gusty winds over 50 mph. That’s not going to be everywhere. It’s going to be very, very, very localized. The bigger issue is going to be the rainfall.”

Will it rain on Halloween in Phoenix?

The Phoenix area is heading into a multiday stretch with storms in the forecast, including Saturday’s holiday.

However, there’s a chance the trick-or-treat hours could remain dry.

“By mid-Saturday evening — you know, Halloween — we might have some showers developing. But most of the rain is going to hold off until later Saturday night and then through the entire day on Sunday,” Kuhlman said.

Valley trick-or-treaters and partygoers rarely have to worry about rain on Oct. 31.

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, which the weather service uses for the city’s official records, has received measurable precipitation only nine times on that date in 130 years of record-keeping. The last time was in 1987.

Friday and Sunday are expected to be rainy

Moisture is expected to move into the area after a partially cloudy but dry day with highs in the mid-80s on Thursday.

Showers and thunderstorms are possible throughout the day Friday, starting around sunrise, Kuhlman said.

“A few of those thunderstorms could produce some hail and maybe some strong winds,” he said. “So, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that some of them, or one or two, might be severe.”

Kuhlman said Friday’s average rainfall amounts will range from one-half to three-quarters of an inch, with bigger numbers in areas where thunderstorms develop.

Sunday is expected to be the wettest day of the weekend, with steady showers rather than sporadic thunderstorms dousing the area.

“It will add up quite a bit,” Kuhlman said. “Right now, we’re looking at totals in the Phoenix area of 1 to 2 inches on Sunday, and maybe even 2 to 3 inches in the high terrain.”

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Colton Krolak contributed to this report.

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