New Bedford, Massachusetts Weather
Apples hang heavy on the branch. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
New Bedford weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 10:21 AM EDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Overcast51%0.09″63°54°—
- TuesdaySep 22Overcast——61°50°-2°
- WednesdaySep 23Light Drizzle——63°49°+2°
- ThursdaySep 24Overcast27%—64°55°+1°
- FridaySep 25Overcast70%—66°56°+2°
- SaturdaySep 26Overcast70%—70°51°+4°
- SundaySep 27Light Drizzle49%0.01″71°55°+1°
Air quality now AQI 30 · Good
AQI 30 (Good), driven by Ozone. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). Ozone at AQI 34. Overcast through the UV peak window (cloud cover ~63%) — afternoon ozone should stay flat.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion during the projected peak around 7 PM.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 34. Overcast through the UV peak window (cloud cover ~63%) — afternoon ozone should stay flat.
- Present
- AQI 34
- UV peak
- 1.7 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- overcast
- Projected peak
- AQI 4
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 4.8 µg/m³ (AQI 27), ratio 0.70 with 12 mph wind — characteristic of long-range haze transport rather than a local source.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.70
- Wind
- breezy
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- transport
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges.
- Moonrise
- 4:20 PM
- Moonset
- 12:56 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Apples hang heavy on the branch
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
New Bedford at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 59°F (high 63°F, low 54°F), 2°F below the 61°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: April 29 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 2 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
16-Day Forecast — New Bedford
- Mon63°54°51%
- Tue61°50°2%
- Wed63°49°2%
- Thu64°55°27%
- Fri66°56°70%
- Sat70°51°70%
- Sun71°55°49%
- Mon66°51°30%
- Tue71°49°13%
- Wed69°53°19%
- Thu72°58°19%
- Fri73°54°14%
- Sat65°49°16%
- Sun70°54°19%
- Mon71°60°19%
- Tue59°42°20%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near New Bedford
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on New Bedford — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Fall planting + final harvests
As of September 21, the season's first frost (typically October 15) is approaching. Pick what frost-tender plants still carry before the next cold front. This city's planting calendar for September: plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, and winter squash.
Sun & seasons in New Bedford
New Bedford sits in Bristol County, where the year’s longest day runs 15h 12m of daylight and its shortest just 9h 9m — a swing of +6h 3m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Boston, the state’s largest city, lies about 45 miles to the N. The nearest town New Bedford tracks is Boston, roughly 45 miles to the N.
Air quality in New Bedford
Air quality in New Bedford’s county has held roughly steady since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2022 (median AQI 38). See the full air-quality history for New Bedford.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| May | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | lettuce, spinach, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | lettuce, peas, spinach, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| August | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| September | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| November | — | fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
New Bedford peaks at about 72°F in July and bottoms near 30°F in January; March brings the heaviest rain (4.8 inches) and July the least (3.0 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 3.7″ | 7 |
| February | 31° | 3.0″ | 6 |
| March | 38° | 4.8″ | 7 |
| April | 47° | 4.0″ | 7 |
| May | 57° | 3.3″ | 7 |
| June | 66° | 3.6″ | 7 |
| July | 72° | 3.0″ | 6 |
| August | 71° | 3.8″ | 6 |
| September | 63° | 3.6″ | 6 |
| October | 53° | 4.6″ | 7 |
| November | 43° | 4.3″ | 7 |
| December | 35° | 4.1″ | 7 |
Regional context
Similar climates Acushnet Center, MA, Smith Mills, MA, Bliss Corner, MA
Per NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals, New Bedford runs from a 30°F January mean to 72°F in July, a 42°F seasonal spread, with near 45.9 inches of precipitation across about 78 wet days.
Rainfall in New Bedford splits evenly between the seasons: March tops out at 4.8 inches over 6.8 rainy days, and July logs 3.0 inches across 5.5 — neither half of New Bedford's year dominates. It is a balanced pattern New Bedford shares with places like Acushnet Center, MA, Smith Mills, MA and Bliss Corner, MA.
Around April 29, New Bedford sheds its freezing nights — kale, peas, spinach, and parsnips go into New Bedford's beds. New Bedford's heat-lovers — tomatoes, peppers, squash — hold off until New Bedford's frost risk clears, 10-14 days on. By October 15, frost is back in New Bedford — protect or harvest anything tender. That date is a median: New Bedford freezes sooner in half of years.
Similar climates: Acushnet Center, MA, Smith Mills, MA, Bliss Corner, MA, Mattapoisett Center, MA, North Westport, MA.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in New Bedford?
- New Bedford's last spring frost lands near April 29, and in New Bedford the first fall frost follows around October 15.
- What is the rainy season in New Bedford?
- Rainfall in New Bedford peaks in March near 4.8 inches, out of about 46 inches annually.
- What is the warmest month in New Bedford?
- The warmest stretch in New Bedford comes in July, around 72°F on average.
- What is the coldest month in New Bedford?
- On average January is the chilliest month in New Bedford, about 30°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in New Bedford?
- New Bedford's last frost (April 29) cues hardy greens; in New Bedford, hold heat-lovers two weeks past.
- How many rainy days does New Bedford get?
- New Bedford averages about 78 days with measurable rain or snow each year.
- What hardiness zone is New Bedford?
- New Bedford's USDA zone comes from its January mean (30°F); enter the ZIP on the USDA lookup for the number.
- What is the 10-day forecast for New Bedford?
- New Bedford's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in New Bedford?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for New Bedford in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in New Bedford?
- Current conditions for New Bedford and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the New Bedford forecast updated?
- The New Bedford forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in New Bedford?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for New Bedford are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for New Bedford?
- The next few days in New Bedford's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
New Bedford sits at 41.7°N; its climate zone is warm-summer humid continental (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in New Bedford
- 02740
- 02741
- 02742
- 02744
- 02745
- 02746