Newport County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Newport County: 0.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

High tide flooding

1. High tide flooding days are days on which a NOAA tide gauge recorded water at or above NOAA's minor flood threshold, set from the gauge's tide range, counted by meteorological year (May to April). These are the counts in NOAA's annual high tide flooding reports; they are not National Weather Service flood stages. Years with less than 80 percent of data are left out.

NOAA CO-OPS high tide flooding counts, through April 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the county boundary (or inside the county).
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Tsunamis

1. Places where NOAA's Global Historical Tsunami Database records a tsunami's water arriving, with the greatest height it reached above sea level at the time. Only tsunamis NOAA rates probable or definite are counted. Heights from eyewitness accounts and tide gauges are mixed, and older events are less completely recorded.

NOAA NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Mar 30, 2010Flood$3.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Five to eight inches of rain fell acros Newport County. Many basements were flooded in Jamestown, and Portsmouth. Several roads were flooded in Jamestown, Tiverton, and Portsmouth, including Route 24 at Main Street in Portsmouth, which was closed.

2. Oct 29, 2012Coastal Flood, Newport$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   While Newport County's beaches didn't experience the same devastation as Washington County's, Superstorm Sandy affected the coastline there as well. ||The Point section of Newport flooded with six to twelve inches of ocean water during the morning high tide cycle. The Bowen's Wharf section also flooded, with water surrounding houses. Ocean Drive and the adjoining seawall in Newport was damaged severely enough that it was one of four areas in the state deemed in greatest need of repairs immediately following the storm. Save the Bay's Exploration Center and Aquarium was damaged by Sandy's 12 foot waves. The wave action also left behind sand, rocks, and debris at the aquarium. Three…

3. Aug 22, 2021Tropical Storm, Newport$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Winds generally gusted to between 50 and 70 mph in Newport County. According to the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency, there were approximately 60 homes damaged in Newport County. In Little Compton at 527 AM EST, a tree was down on West Bay Road. In Middletown from 720-729 AM EST, a tree was down on Orchard Avenue and a large branch was down onto wires on Bliss Mine Road. In Newport at 820 AM EST, the intersection of Marchant Street and Wellington Avenue was flooded. Also in Newport, at 931 AM EST multiple trees were reported down across town and at 945 AM EST, a Weatherflow mesonet recorded a wind gust to 68 mph. At 1043 AM EST, a Weatherflow mesonet station at Rose Island…

4. Mar 26, 2001Heavy Snow, Newport$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A small but fast moving storm brought heavy snow to Newport County, as it moved off the coast south of Long Island. Snowfall totals of 5 to 7 inches were widely reported.

5. Apr 1, 1997Heavy Snow, Newport$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A low pressure system which formed off the New Jersey coast during the early morning hours of March 31st intensified rapidly as it moved to a position 60 miles south of Newport, Rhode Island. This system retreated to the south during the early morning hours of April 1st, pulling in cold air from the north. The center then moved slowly eastward. Heavy snow and strong winds produced blizzard and near-blizzard conditions across most of Rhode Island during the early morning hours on April 1st. Snowfall accumulations set all-time records for April across most of the state, with amounts ranging from around 4 inches along the south coast to nearly 30 inches along the Massachusetts border…

6. Oct 29, 2012High Wind, Newport$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The National Ocean Service Physical Oceanographic Real Time System at Potter Cove in Narragansett Bay (PCTR1) recorded sustained wind speeds of 44 mph and gusts to 62 mph. The Automated Surface Observing System at Newport State Airport (KUUU) recorded sustained wind speeds of 37 mph and gusts to 59 mph. In addition, spotters reported wind gusts of 52 mph in Middletown. Numerous trees were downed in Middletown, Tiverton, and Little Compton.

7. Mar 8, 2005High Wind, Newport$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Low pressure strengthened rapidly off the Delaware coast and tracked southeast of New England, bringing snow and high winds to Rhode Island. While snowfall amounts were limited to between 2 and 5 inches because of rain at the start, wind gusted to over 70 mph during the height of the storm.On Block Island, a gust to 71 mph was reported at the airport, but no damage occurred. A trained spotter in Warwick reported a 70 mph gust, and another spotter in Bristol reported a 59 mph gust, and likewise no damage occurred in either location. Amateur radio operators reported large trees down in Burrillville and six trees down in Portsmouth.Officially, the snowfall total at T.F. Green State…

8. Dec 9, 2005High Wind, Newport$60,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A low pressure system centered near the Delaware coast intensified rapidly as it tracked quickly northeast across southern New England, producing near-blizzard conditions across Rhode Island around mid afternoon. Damaging winds, whiteout conditions, and approximately one hour of thunder snow occurred across most of the region. In addition, snowfall amounts ranged from around 2 inches across south coastal locations, to as much as 12 inches across northwest Rhode Island. Wind gusts between 50 and 60 mph were common across south coastal locations and Block Island. Wind gusts as high as 60 mph were reported in Tiverton. The winds brought down trees, branches, and wires. These gusty…

9. Nov 13, 2003High Wind, Newport$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Low pressure moving through the St. Lawrence Valley brought high winds to much of southern New England. In Rhode Island, peak wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph brought down trees and power lines.

10. Aug 25, 2020Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    In Newport, about 1 mile south of Rose Island, there was a report forwarded by amateur radio operators, of a person on a sailboat that recorded a wind gust to 75 mph on the boat's anemometer. Do not know the brand of the equipment. According to an article on newportri.com/news, two boats sank in the harbor - one was an Alerion Express 28.

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

104°FAug 2, 1975

All-time low

−13°FJan 23, 1976

Warmest night

80°FJul 3, 2026

Coldest day

7°F3 times, most recently Jan 16, 1994

Wettest day

6.31 inAug 4, 1979

Snowiest day

35.5 inFeb 23, 2026

Hottest year

2021mean 54.2°F

Coldest year

1978mean 48.7°F

Wettest year

198367.52 in

Driest year

196525.44 in

Snowiest season

106.5 in1995-96

Station Providence (USW00014765), 51 ft elevation, 14.8 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 26, 2026; 100.0% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

Neighbouring counties

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00014765.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Tide gauges NOAA CO-OPS high tide flooding counts, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Tsunamis NOAA NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database.
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.