Halloween isn't far off – here are four of Canada's spookiest kinds of weather
Canada's weather can take on a foreboding edge when the days get shorter and the nights grow colder.
Fall: It's not the coldest time of year, nor the darkest, but it can be the spookiest!
A lot of that has to do with the way the weather changes, adding to an already forbidding atmosphere, particularly around Halloween.
We asked viewers to share their favourite scary fall weather types. Here are the top four.
MOON HALOS
Credit: Rachelle Mack, View Lake, Ont. Submitted.
Fall is when those cold nights really start creeping in, and it's when you may catch your first glimpse of this otherworldly phenomenon.
Known as moon halos, or lunar halos, they're most impressive when the moon is full. What happens is, moonbeams shone through millions upon millions of tiny ice crystals in the upper atmosphere, producing that astounding halo effect.
Calling all werewolves!
FOG
Credit: Leslie Karniszewski, Elliot Lake, Ont. Submitted.
Fog definitely isn't confined to the fall months, but there's something about the darker and chillier autumn days that gives the fog that certain atmospheric something.
The spookiest appears at night, and it's mostly radiation fog: when the sky is clear, the accumulated daytime heat at the surface radiates outward, leaving behind a surface that is relatively cooler, triggering condensation near ground level that appears as fog.
Aside from the spooky feel, it can be dangerous for drivers who don't drive to the conditions. If you're on the roads on a foggy evening, take extra care.
SEE ALSO: How to keep your kids warm on Halloween without ruining their look
WIND
As with fog, wind is not a rare atmospheric phenomenon, but many of you who Tweeted us listed this as a spooky part of the season due to the sound it makes when howling through the trees and streets on a dark night.
Fall is a season of transition, and wind speeds can ramp up as warm and cold air masses duel—and in places like Newfoundland's Wreckhouse region and northern Cape Breton Island, the windiest places in Canada, those gusts can reach damaging levels as well.
WATCH: 160 km/h winds knocked these Canadian meteorologists right off their feet
SHELF CLOUDS
Now, HERE'S a scary sight for anyone who sees these clouds bearing down on them.
Known as shelf clouds, they're caused by strong updrafts and downdrafts and appear at the leading edge of severe thunderstorms, which are still possible in the fall depending on the conditions.
Credit: Bhawna Soi, Stoney Creek, Ont. Submitted.
Of everything on this list, they're the most dangerous: they herald the arrival of severe weather, including torrential rain, large hail, and, sometimes, tornadoes.
To learn more about the dangers of shelf clouds, read The Weather Network's Mark Robinson's in-depth explainer, here.
WATCH BELOW: Which Canadian city holds the record for coldest Halloween?
Is there a weather phenomenon not included on this list that spooks you? Message us on X, @weathernetwork, and let us know!
