Weather service forecasts a dry, mostly clear Halloween night on the South Coast
Forecasters say Friday will likely be the warmest day of the week, with gusty wind, and put rain chances back in the forecast for Monday and Election Day.
NEW BEDFORD The National Weather Service is forecasting a dry, mostly clear Halloween night on the South Coast, with lows from 36 to 41 degrees and no rain in its Saturday, Oct. 31, forecasts for New Bedford, Fall River or Wareham.
The weather service's Boston/Norton office, in its New Bedford forecast updated at 5:15 a.m. Wednesday, calls for a sunny Saturday with a high near 56 and a northwest wind of 3 to 9 mph, then a mostly clear night with a low around 37 and the wind falling to around 2 mph.
The office's hourly forecast for New Bedford has the temperature at 54 degrees at 5 p.m. Saturday, 51 at 6 p.m., 48 at 7 p.m. and 47 at 8 p.m., with the wind at 3 mph or less and a 0% chance of rain in each of those hours.
Town by town
In Fall River, the weather service forecasts a sunny Saturday with a high near 58 and a northwest wind of 3 to 10 mph, then a mostly clear night with a low around 41.
In Wareham Center, the forecast is sunny with a high near 55 and a northwest wind of 2 to 9 mph, then a mostly clear night with a low around 36 and a wind around 1 mph.
The sun sets at 5:40 p.m. Saturday in New Bedford, and civil twilight ends at 6:08 p.m., according to the U.S. Naval Observatory. Safety advice for walking after dark is in our earlier story, Halloween night safety: dark soon after 6 p.m.
Before that, a warm and breezy Friday
Forecasters at the Boston/Norton office wrote in their area forecast discussion, issued at 1:36 a.m. Wednesday, that "the prolonged dry stretch continues" as temperatures climb through Thursday and Friday. They called Friday "likely the warmest day of the week" and said they had raised the forecast wind gusts for that day, ahead of a weak cold front.
The New Bedford forecast calls for a sunny Thursday with a high near 65 and a sunny Friday with a high near 69 and a west wind of 7 to 10 mph. The Wareham Center forecast for Friday includes gusts as high as 21 mph.
The discussion described the front due overnight Friday as "moisture-starved" and said it would bring temperatures back to levels that are "seasonable for late October" this weekend. The New Bedford forecast puts Friday night's low around 40.
Rain chances return next week
After a mostly sunny Sunday with a high near 60, the New Bedford forecast lists a slight chance of rain showers after 9 a.m. Monday and a 30% chance of showers Monday night. For Tuesday, Nov. 3, Election Day, it calls for a chance of rain showers, at 30%, with a northeast wind of 7 to 13 mph.
The forecasters wrote that the pattern turns more unsettled early next week but that "confidence in specific timing remains low," with rain probabilities between 20% and 45% from Sunday night into Tuesday.
No warnings in effect
As of 7:36 a.m. Wednesday, the weather service had no watches, warnings or advisories in effect for Massachusetts, and the Boston/Norton discussion listed none for the state or its coastal waters.
Clocks fall back one hour at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, under federal law. Town events for the week are in our Halloween week events list. This story will be updated Friday with the weather service's newer forecast.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
Every weather fact comes from the National Weather Service's Boston/Norton office: its point forecasts for New Bedford, Fall River and Wareham Center and its hourly New Bedford forecast, all updated at 5:15 a.m. Oct. 28, its area forecast discussion issued at 1:36 a.m. that day, and its active alerts feed. We read them between 7:36 and 7:40 a.m. Oct. 28. Every forecast number is the weather service's own, quoted as it appears; SC360 makes no forecast of its own. Sunset times come from the U.S. Naval Observatory and the clock change from federal law. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar. Forecasts three or more days out change; this page will be updated with the weather service's newer forecast.
Corrections
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Sources (8)
- National Weather Service Boston/Norton, seven-day forecast for New Bedford (grid BOX 81,69), updated 5:15 a.m. EDT Oct. 28, 2026Thursday through Tuesday periods, including Saturday sunny, high near 56, and Saturday night mostly clear, low around 37. Read Oct. 28, 2026, 7:36 to 7:40 a.m.
- National Weather Service Boston/Norton, hourly forecast for New Bedford, updated 5:15 a.m. EDT Oct. 28, 2026Saturday 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. temperatures, wind and 0% rain chance. Read Oct. 28, 2026, 7:36 to 7:40 a.m.
- National Weather Service Boston/Norton, seven-day forecast for Fall River (grid BOX 73,71), updated 5:15 a.m. EDT Oct. 28, 2026Saturday and Saturday night for Fall River. Read Oct. 28, 2026, 7:36 to 7:40 a.m.
- National Weather Service Boston/Norton, seven-day forecast for Wareham Center (grid BOX 88,76), updated 5:15 a.m. EDT Oct. 28, 2026Saturday, Saturday night and Friday gusts for Wareham Center. Read Oct. 28, 2026, 7:36 to 7:40 a.m.
- National Weather Service Boston/Norton, Area Forecast Discussion, issued 1:36 a.m. EDT Oct. 28, 2026Dry stretch, Friday wind and warmth, the weak front, next week's rain chances, no watches or warnings. Read Oct. 28, 2026, 7:36 to 7:40 a.m.
- National Weather Service active alerts, MassachusettsNo active alerts returned at 7:36 a.m. EDT Oct. 28, 2026.
- U.S. Naval Observatory, sun and moon data for one day, New Bedford, Oct. 31, 2026Sunset 5:40 p.m., end of civil twilight 6:08 p.m. EDT. Read Oct. 28, 2026, 7:36 to 7:40 a.m.
- 15 U.S. Code 260a, Advancement of time or changeover datesDaylight time ends at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of November (Nov. 1, 2026). Read Oct. 28, 2026, 7:36 to 7:40 a.m.