2 to 4 inches of rain possible: Flood Watch for New Bedford, Fall River, Plymouth from 4 a.m. Friday
The Weather Service issued the watch at 11:37 a.m. Thursday. It warns of flooding in low-lying and poorly drained areas, and of storm drains clogged with leaves, with a low risk of isolated 5 to 6 inch totals.
NEW BEDFORD A National Weather Service Flood Watch covers New Bedford, Fall River, Taunton and Plymouth starting early Friday, with 2 to 4 inches of rain possible and flooding possible in low-lying and poorly drained areas.
The Boston/Norton office issued the watch at 11:37 a.m. Thursday. It runs from 4 a.m. Friday, Nov. 6, to 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, and covers its five forecast zones in Bristol and Plymouth counties, along with Barnstable and Dukes counties and Rhode Island. Periods of heavy rain "may result in an area of 2 to 4 inches of rainfall across RI and Southeast MA, with a low risk (less than 30 percent) of isolated amounts of 5 to 6 inches," the office wrote.
The watch starts before Friday's morning commute and runs through Friday evening's high school football kickoffs. A Flood Watch "does not mean flooding will occur, but it is possible," the Weather Service says. It issues a Flood Warning when "flooding is imminent or occurring," and the watch tells residents to monitor later forecasts and be alert for one.
Where it applies and what to look for
The zones are Northern Bristol, Southern Bristol, Western Plymouth, Eastern Plymouth and Southern Plymouth. The watch names Fall River, New Bedford, Mattapoisett, Taunton, Brockton and Plymouth among its cities. The Weather Service's location lookup puts Wareham in the Southern Plymouth zone, and Acushnet's Office of Emergency Management said Thursday that its town is in Southern Bristol.
Excessive runoff "may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations," the watch says, and flooding "may occur in poor drainage and urban areas." It adds that storm drains and ditches "may become clogged with leaf debris." People living in flood-prone areas "should be prepared to take action should flooding develop," the office wrote.
Acushnet's emergency management office asked residents to "clear leaves and debris from storm drains near your home and driveway when it is safe to do so" and told drivers, "Do not drive through flooded roads." Acushnet residents can sign up for the town's emergency alerts on its alert page.
The Weather Service says it takes 12 inches of rushing water to carry away most cars and 2 feet to carry away SUVs and trucks, and that 6 inches of fast-moving water can knock over an adult. It also says never to drive around barriers blocking a flooded road, because the road under the water may have collapsed.
When the rain is expected
Point forecasts the Weather Service updated at 12:04 p.m. Thursday have the rain building overnight. For New Bedford, Wareham and Plymouth they give a slight chance of rain from midnight to 1 a.m., then a chance of rain and a slight chance of thunderstorms from 1 to 4 a.m., then rain likely. Fall River's forecast starts a chance of rain at 11 p.m.
Friday's forecast for all four places is rain and patchy fog with a chance of thunderstorms during the day, and the Fall River and Wareham forecasts say some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Saturday's forecast for all four is rain showers before 8 a.m., then a chance of rain.
| Place | Tonight | Friday | Friday night |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Bedford | Less than a tenth | 2 to 3 | 1 to 2 |
| Fall River | A quarter to a half | 3 to 4 | 1 to 2 |
| Wareham | Less than a tenth | 2 to 3 | 1 to 2 |
| Plymouth | A tenth to a quarter | 2 to 3 | 1 to 2 |
Taken period by period, those forecasts can add up to more than the watch's 2 to 4 inches for the region. They give no storm total for any one place, and the watch itself puts isolated amounts of 5 to 6 inches at a low risk, less than 30 percent.
The numbers rose during the day. A forecast discussion the office issued at 2:08 a.m. Thursday, before the watch, gave a best estimate of 1 to 2 inches across the eastern part of southern New England, with a narrow band up to 3 inches. It said the heaviest band's location was not yet known, with southern Rhode Island into southeast Massachusetts the most likely area. The office had not posted a newer discussion when we checked at 1:14 p.m.
Tides and rivers
The watch is for rain. It does not mention tides, and the Flood Watch was the only alert in force for Massachusetts when we read the Weather Service's alert feed at 1:14 p.m. High tides during the watch, from NOAA's predictions for each station, are below, with heights in feet above mean lower low water.
| Station | Friday morning | Friday evening | Saturday morning |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Bedford Harbor | 5:20 a.m., 4.3 ft | 5:43 p.m., 3.6 ft | 6:08 a.m., 4.4 ft |
| Fall River | 5:28 a.m., 4.9 ft | 5:51 p.m., 4.3 ft | 6:18 a.m., 5.1 ft |
| Onset Beach, Wareham | 5:55 a.m., 4.3 ft | 6:17 p.m., 3.7 ft | 6:42 a.m., 4.4 ft |
| Plymouth | 8:52 a.m., 10.4 ft | 9:21 p.m., 9.8 ft | 9:40 a.m., 10.6 ft |
NOAA's National Water Prediction Service forecast, issued at 4:06 a.m. Thursday before the watch, tops out about 6 a.m. Saturday at 4.8 feet at the New Bedford hurricane barrier, where it lists minor flooding at 6 feet, and at 5.7 feet at Fall River, where it lists minor flooding at 7 feet.
The Taunton River near Bridgewater read 3.64 feet at 11:45 a.m. Thursday. The same service's forecast, issued at 10:32 a.m. and also before the watch, tops out at 6 feet about 1 a.m. Sunday, under the 8 feet it lists as minor flooding. It posted no forecast for the Mill River at Taunton, the Wading River at Norton or the Segreganset River at Dighton, which read 4.23, 5.34 and 1.9 feet between 11:45 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. Thursday, against minor flood stages of 8.5, 9.5 and 5 feet.
Games, roads and town notices
Friday's football schedule has New Bedford's MIAA playoff game at Springfield Central and Durfee at Newton North at 6 p.m., Old Colony at Martha's Vineyard at 5:30 p.m. and Diman at Somerset Berkley at 6:30 p.m. The MIAA's home page carried no postponement notice about 1 p.m. Thursday, and we found no change announced by a school or for a Saturday event.
The Fall River and Wareham home pages carried no flood notice when we checked about 1 p.m. We found no road closure, parking ban or shelter announced for the watch in a South Coast town. This story will add each one as officials post it.
What happens next
The 2:08 a.m. discussion said rain chances drop off Saturday morning, with showers still possible through Sunday morning, then highs back in the 50s early next week. The watch is set to end at 10 a.m. Saturday. The current notice is marked to expire at 12:45 a.m. Friday, so the Boston/Norton office is due to update it before then.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
Every weather fact comes from National Weather Service and NOAA products, named here with their issue times, and the Acushnet notice comes from the town's own alert. We read them on Nov. 5 about 1 p.m. and checked each date and weekday against a calendar. Kickoff times come from the MIAA brackets and school schedules our sports desk read that morning. Not heard: we have not reached town emergency managers, the MIAA or the schools directly, and the New Bedford and Plymouth city pages did not open for us at 1 p.m.
Corrections
No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.
Sources (16)
- National Weather Service Boston/Norton: Flood Watch, FFABOXIssued 11:37 a.m. EST Nov. 5, 2026. Read Nov. 5, 2026, about 1 p.m.
- National Weather Service: active alerts for MassachusettsFlood Watch the only alert in force. Read Nov. 5, 2026, 1:14 p.m.
- National Weather Service Boston/Norton: Area Forecast DiscussionIssued 2:08 a.m. EST Nov. 5, 2026, before the watch; newest posted at 1:14 p.m. Read Nov. 5, 2026, about 1 p.m.
- National Weather Service point forecasts for New Bedford, Fall River, Wareham and Plymouth (api.weather.gov)Updated 12:04 p.m. EST Nov. 5, 2026. Read Nov. 5, 2026, about 1 p.m.
- National Weather Service: flood watch and warning definitionsRead Nov. 5, 2026, about 1 p.m.
- National Weather Service: Turn Around, Don't DrownRead Nov. 5, 2026, about 1 p.m.
- NOAA tide predictions: New Bedford Harbor, Marine Terminal (8447636)Read Nov. 5, 2026, about 1 p.m.
- NOAA tide predictions: Fall River (8447386)Read Nov. 5, 2026, about 1 p.m.
- NOAA tide predictions: Onset Beach, Onset Bay (8447277)Read Nov. 5, 2026, about 1 p.m.
- NOAA tide predictions: Plymouth (8446493)Read Nov. 5, 2026, about 1 p.m.
- NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauges BDGM3, NBDM3, FRVM3, TNMM3, NORM3, DIGM3Read Nov. 5, 2026, about 1 p.m.
- Town of Acushnet: Acushnet Office of Emergency Management Flood Watch alertPosted Nov. 5, 2026. Read Nov. 5, 2026, about 1 p.m.
- MIAA home pageNo postponement notice. Read Nov. 5, 2026, about 1 p.m.
- MIAA football state tournament brackets (Division 1 and the other divisions)Kickoff times as read by our sports desk Nov. 5, 2026.
- City of Fall River home pageNo flood notice. Read Nov. 5, 2026, about 1 p.m.
- Town of Wareham home pageNo flood notice. Read Nov. 5, 2026, about 1 p.m.