Providence County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Providence 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 29, 2010Flood$26.6 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Six to nine inches of rain fell across Providence County, resulting in rises on both the Blackstone River at Woonsocket and the Pawtuxet River at Cranston. The Blackstone rose to moderate flood and the Pawtuxet rose to nearly 21 feet, surpassing the previous flood of record set only two weeks prior of nearly 15 feet. The Woonasquatucket, Runnins, and Ten Mile Rivers also flooded.||Several small streams rose above flood stage across Providence County, including the Woonasquatucket River at Centerdale and the Branch River near North Smithfield.||Numerous streets and basements were flooded across all of Providence County, including Cranston, North Smithfield, Johnston, Scituate, East…

2. Mar 5, 2001Heavy Snow, Northwest Providence$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A major winter storm impacted central and northern Rhode Island with heavy snow and strong winds. The slow-moving storm, which tracked south of New England, dumped more than a foot of snow across Providence and Kent counties and knocked out power to tens of thousands of customers. Schools and businesses were shut down for three days in some communities. Officially, T.F. Green State Airport in Warwick reported a storm total of 6.5 inches. Other areas of Kent County reported 6 to 10 inches of snow from the storm. In Providence County, as much as 16 inches of snow fell in North Foster. Burrillville and Lincoln both reported totals of 14 inches, North Smithfield 13 inches, and…

3. Mar 22, 2001Flood, Northwest Providence$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Minor to moderate flooding occurred along the Blackstone and Pawtuxet Rivers as a result of melting snow and heavy rainfall. Damage was estimated at three million dollars, and affected nearly 1,400 homes and 37 businesses.The Blackstone River at Woonsocket crested at 11.65 feet at 225 am on the 23rd (flood stage is 9 feet). The Pawtuxet River at Cranston crested at 11.36 feet at 615 pm on the 22nd (flood stage is 9 feet).

4. Sep 2, 2013Flash Flood$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain over the same part of Rhode Island for the second day in a row resulted in widespread flash flooding across much of Kent County and Cranston. Information on flooding in Kent County can be found in a separate event entry for Kent County. In Cranston, a car became stuck in flood waters in a rotary, stranding a man on the roof of the car. A car flooded at the intersection of Wellington and Essex Streets resulted in a water rescue done by boat. The fire department rescued occupants of a car stuck in flood waters on Oaklawn Avenue. An area of Cranston Street including the 1500 block was flooded with one to two feet of water. Dean Estates apartment buildings were evacuated by…

5. Oct 23, 2018Tornado$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado initially touched down in North Providence on Meadow View Blvd. around 331 PM EDT, where large branches were downed, including one on a car and a fence. In this area, wind speeds were estimated to be 60-70 mph, which is classified as EF-0 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. From there, damage was discontinuous as the tornado headed northeastward toward the southwest part of Lincoln, with only a few treetops snapped and downed branches. In Lincoln, the tornado caused extensive damage on Angell Road and Riata Drive around 333 PM EDT. There were numerous uprooted or snapped trees, shingles blown off several houses, and large branches downed. Wind speeds were estimated to be…

6. Sep 5, 2022Flash Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   In Providence, 7 to 10 inches of rain fell over the course of a few hours during the mid to late afternoon creating serious flash flooding. 8.31 inches of rain fell in the Elmwood section of the city and 6.89 in the College Hill section. National news media showed aerial views of Interstate 95 which had become completely flooded and was closed in both directions. The snarled traffic lasted for multiple hours. Cars were reported to be stuck in the following locations: Webster Ave., Hamilton St., Cadillac Ave. at Melrose St. (water up to the windows), Narragansett Ave at Santiago St., Rugby St. at Thurbers Ave. Additional flooding and road closure reports included: Thackery St. at…

7. Mar 9, 2001Heavy Snow, Northwest Providence$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A winter storm tracking from the Great Lakes to just south of New England brought heavy snow to northern Providence County. The highest snowfall totals were found in the higher elevations, where 6 to 8 inches of snow fell.

8. Aug 21, 2004Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A severe thunderstorm produced a microburst with winds estimated at 70 mph in Woonsocket, according to a National Weather Service storm survey. Trees were downed and uprooted in the Jillson Avenue area just south of the Bernon Heights School. Wind got underneath a carport and caused significant damage. A 200-year old oak tree was split in half and landed on two cars. No injuries were reported. The same storm also downed trees in Cumberland.

9. Aug 18, 2023Tornado$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado caused significant damage along a discontinuous path|in Scituate, Johnston, and North Providence, Rhode Island. This |is the strongest tornado to have struck Rhode Island since the F-2|tornado in Cranston and Providence on August 7, 1986.||The tornado first touched down near Byron Randall Road in Scituate|which is where the most severe damage occurred. There were hundreds|of large trees either uprooted or snapped at their bases. One |home sustained damage to its roof, the top of its chimney was |blown off, windows were blown in, and an exterior door was |dislodged from its framing. Damage was consistent with winds of |around 115 mph which is classified as EF-2 on the…

10. Jun 9, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$250,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Numerous trees, utility poles, utility lines, and wires were downed across North Providence and Providence as the result of a microburst. This included 42 trees in Roger Williams Park and more than 200 trees on city property. Trees were downed onto cars and buildings.

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, 9.4 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.