Clocks Fall Back Sunday, Nov. 1, After a Dry, Chilly Halloween Forecast

Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, when clocks in Washington fall back one hour to 1 a.m., following the federal rule that standard time returns on the first Sunday in November, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

The change means darkness comes an hour earlier on the clock in the evening, and fire officials use the date as a reminder for a household chore.

The U.S. Fire Administration recommends testing every smoke alarm once a month and replacing 9-volt batteries at least once a year. Alarms with hardwired power need their backup batteries replaced yearly, and any smoke alarm should be replaced after 10 years, the agency says.

The agency also advises putting alarms inside and outside each bedroom and on every level of a home, and choosing interconnected alarms so that when one sounds, they all sound. It warns that people may have less than two minutes to get out once an alarm goes off.

Halloween itself is shaping up dry. The National Weather Service forecast issued early Friday, Oct. 30, calls for a partly sunny Saturday, Oct. 31, with a high near 53 and light north wind, followed by a mostly cloudy night with a low around 34.

Friday, Oct. 30, is expected to bring a 70% chance of light rain, with less than a tenth of an inch, and a high near 50. Sunday, Nov. 1, is forecast to be partly sunny with a high near 55.