The frozen smile might seem more appropriate on a Jack O’ Lantern than a snowman on the first of October.

But there the little white man was — perched atop the summit of Mount Washington while most of the rest of the state had yet to burst into its autumn colors.

It wasn’t a whole heck of a lot of snow. And it wasn’t even its first snowfall of the season. But it was just enough to send a chill down the spine of the rest of the state.

“It does give you the idea of what is right around the corner,” said meteorologist Chris Legro with the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine, said.

With only a slight chance of mixed snow showers forecasted, Mount Washington Observatory weather observer Brian Fitzgerald wrote that it was a bit of a surprise to wake up to see snow flakes flying and a blanket of white shrouding the summit of the highest peak in the Northeastern united States.

“We measured just under an inch of snow/sleet in our precipitation can this morning, and it’s still coming down...for now. It’ll probably all be gone by later today, so why not have some fun with it while it’s here? This little guy may not look impressive, but then again, not many snowmen can say they’ve sat on top of the Mount Washington summit sign at 6,288 feet on October 1!” the Mount Washington Weather Observatory staff wrote on its Facebook page.

It was the third time it snowed on the summit since Labor Day, Legro said.

Mount Washington saw its first snowflakes for the winter season fly on Sept. 8. Then, on Sept. 15, it got about .4 inches of snow. The total .6 inches of snow that fell in September was well below the 2.2 inch average for that month, Legro said.

The summit averages about 17.6 inches of snow in October, he added.

Skies should clear at the high peak by this morning, then see a chance of showers tonight, Legro said.

Southern New Hampshire also is forecast to have sunny skies early in the day, then afternoon clouding should turn to showers tonight that will continue through Wednesday, he said.