The Northeast could be paying higher prices for pumpkins this Halloween. Hurricane Irene and subsequent flooding have submerged fields and drowned crops, and that could lead to a pumpkin shortage. That could mean people having to pay a higher cost per “boo.”

“Wet weather promotes fungus disease, especially on pumpkins,” Bob Lieby, Lehigh County Director of the Penn State Extension told LowerMacungiePatch. “It affects the foliage and that stops the pumpkins from getting larger.”

Dead, diseased, and puny pumpkins could jack up jack-o-lantern prices this Halloween. Switching to carving another kind of produce, like a gourd, will be cheaper as there’s less demand, but smaller yields on those could also mean a price increase there was well.

No Pumpkins This Year? [LowerMacungiePatch]

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