A dry Halloween weekend, then Tacoma’s wettest month. This is the gutter-cleaning window.

Tacoma, Wash. — Oct. 29, 2026. After a showery, chilly week, western Washington is about to dry out. FOX 13 Seattle’s Thursday afternoon forecast says a stubborn low off the coast will keep showers going through Friday, then “we’ll gradually transition to a drier pattern for the weekend and the start of next week.” Halloween looks mainly dry and partly cloudy, with highs in the mid‑50s.

The drier pattern is expected to continue “into the middle of next week as high pressure remains in control,” with highs in the 50s and overnight lows in the 30s. Then comes November, which NOAA’s 30‑year normals show is Tacoma’s wettest month at 6.50 inches.

The forecast

The next week, from a gutter’s point of view

1. Fri., Oct. 30

   Last showers

   Scattered showers at times as the offshore low drifts south. Highs in the low to mid‑50s.

2. Sat., Oct. 31

   Mostly dry Halloween

   Partly cloudy, highs in the mid‑50s, near 50 at trick-or-treat time.

3. Sun., Nov. 1

   Clocks fall back

   High pressure builds. Clouds and sun, highs in the 50s. Sunset before 5 p.m.

4. Mon.–Wed., Nov. 2–4

   Drier pattern holds

   Highs in the 50s, lows in the 30s. Cold mornings, workable afternoons.

KIRO Newsradio’s Ted Buehner had a similar read a day earlier. His Oct. 28 outlook called for a dry but cool Halloween, with highs in the lower to mid‑50s and temperatures in the 40s by evening. He also noted Halloween isn’t always so kind. Since 1945, only 17 Halloweens at Sea‑Tac have been dry, and the soggiest, in 2015, brought 1.30 inches.

The angle most coverage missed

The dry days come with cold mornings and short afternoons

Halloween forecasts are about trick-or-treating. For a gutter job, two other details matter. First, the dry stretch arrives with overnight lows in the 30s, and FOX 13’s Thursday morning forecast had snow levels dropping to 3,000 to 4,000 feet. Frost on grass and ladder rungs is likely on clear mornings. Second, daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, and sunsets move before 5 p.m.

Put those together and the real working window is roughly late morning to midafternoon, Sunday through Wednesday. That’s fine for a crew. It’s tight for anyone planning to climb a ladder after work. Waiting for the next dry weekend is the riskiest option. There’s no guarantee of one before November’s heavier rain, and every storm in between packs more leaves and needles into the outlets.

Doing it yourself

How to use the dry window safely

• Start after the frost burns off. Don’t set a ladder on frosty grass or wet leaves.

• Scoop the trough, then run a hose down each downspout until water drains freely at the bottom.

• Check where each downspout lets out. Seattle Public Utilities recommends at least 5 feet from the foundation, 10 being better.

• Stay off steep, mossy or second-story roofs. Those are the jobs to hand off.

• Read our gutter ladder safety guide before you climb.

Hiring it out

What a cleaning in the dry window should include

A proper gutter cleaning in Seattle and Tacoma clears every run by hand, runs each downspout until it drains and checks hangers and seams. In Tacoma, our Tacoma gutter services page covers what we see most by neighborhood. If the same trees refill the gutters every fall, ask about gutter guards on the same visit.

See an instant gutter cleaning price range before the dry window closes, send us photos, schedule the job online or call (425) 828-3000. We cover the whole South Sound and Seattle area.