Record-breaking snow likely for Halloween. How's that for scary?

Who's dreaming of a white Halloween?

Meteorologists at the National Weather Service say the suburbs are probably going to get one, and a record-breaking one at that.

However, the record is pretty easy to break. Any accumulation of more than a tenth of an inch at the O'Hare International Airport weather station would break the record set five years ago, according to the weather service.

"We're looking at between 1 to 3 inches for most suburbs in the western and northwestern part of the region," said Jake Petr, a National Weather Service meteorologist. "We haven't had a lot of snow on Halloween before, but it's not unheard of to get snow this early."

Th> record for the snowiest October day in Chicago was set Oct. 19, 1989, with 3.8 inches. But Halloween has rarely received more than a trace amount, according to weather records.

Petr said Rockford, DeKalb and western McHenry County could see as much as 4 inches of snow, but the accumulation is expected to taper off in suburbs to the south and east. Chicago itself is expecting only half an inch.

At least one suburb, Vernon Hills, is postponing trick-or-treating until Saturday because of the snow threat today.

Petr said most of the snow will fall throughout the morning and afternoon and taper off into the evening.

"It's not going to be nice out, though," he warned.

Petr said temperatures during peak trick-or-treating hours are likely to hover around the freezing mark with wind chills expected in the teens.

The temperature will drop into the 20s overnight, he said.

Most suburban residents woke up to a small amount of snow Wednesday morning. It was the first snow for the region since April, according to weather records.