Halloween weather: Four other huge storms that hit on October 31

Turns out the East Coast has had a difficult time with Halloween weather over the years. As they buckle down in preparation for Hurricane Sandy and the Halloween Frankenstorm that is upon them, it is interesting to take a look back at four other big storms in Halloween history, three of which hit the East Coast.

Perhaps the worst Halloween on record was 1991 when another huge nor'easter hit along the coast, and a fairly large blizzard/ice storm pounded the midwest. Halloween plans all over were cancelled and children were left with costumes but nowhere to wear them. Many cities held Halloween celebrations later that week, and others still went on with their holiday plans. One thing is for sure, with weather like this, Halloween can be frightful in more ways than one.

View slideshow: Halloween weather: Four other storms that hit on October 31

Halloween Nor'easter of 1991
In 1991 there was another big Hurricane that hit the East Coast, and hit it hard. It was a nor'easter that ended up combining forces with Hurricane Grace and was called “The Perfect Storm.” The damage was pretty big too, as more than $200 million was totaled and 13 people lost their lives due to the storm. The heaviest damage hit Massachusetts, where more than 100 homes had been destroyed.
Halloween Blizzard of 1991
Just because you didn't live on a coast, didn't mean you were exempt from the horrors of Halloween 1991. The midwest was hit by a large blizzard from October 31 through November 3, 1991. Primarily Wisconsin and Minnesota were impacted by this blizzard, which included an ice storm that took 22 lives and injured more than 100. In fact, it was mostly the ice that had the biggest impact as areas of Minnesota that didn't see too much snow were hit with two to three inces of ice and up to 10 inches of snow that fell on top of it.
1887 Halloween Tropical Storm
1887 saw a Tropical Storm that was the 16th of a very busy Tropical Storm season. It hit Florida and then traveled up the East Coast with winds of 70 miles per hour, settling near North Carolina on October 31st. The worst of the damage from the 1887 storm was in Virginia, where telegraph poles were taken down and communications were lost through most of the state. In addition, there were many ships that were at sea during the storm, which caused multiple wreckages and four ships were completely lost.
2011 Halloween Nor'easter
Just a year ago, the East Coast was hit again with a nor'easter, bringing record snowfall in more than 20 cities across the coast. The largest accumulation was reported in Peru, Massachusetts with 32 inches of snow, and many more cities reporting more than 19 inches. Power was lost in 12 states and Connecticut reportedly had may areas without power for a week. Overall, more than 3.3 million people were without power along the East Coast and 39 deaths were reported from the Halloween Nor'easter of 2011.