Bristol County, Rhode Island severe weather history spans 70 recorded events between 1972 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 28.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,994 nationally and #5 in Rhode Island.
70
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$6.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Bristol County, Rhode Island severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Bristol County, Rhode Island severe weather history averages 1.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 23 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 2 events fall before 1990 and 68 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Bristol County, Rhode Island record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $5.9M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Bristol County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 20 | 0 | $251K | 70 | 1983–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 15 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2003 |
| Flood | 13 | 0 | $5.9M | 0 | 2006–2023 |
| Lightning | 7 | 1 | $107K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $64K | 0 | 2012–2025 |
| Hail | 6 | 0 | $0 | 1.5 | 1997–2024 |
| Tornado | 2 | 0 | $45K | F0 | 1972–2008 |
Decade by decade
Bristol County, Rhode Island severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
1 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 1 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-07-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Bristol County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 24, 2008 | Lightning | BRISTOL | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Seven to eight inches of rain fell in Bristol County, resulting in many basements and roads flooding in Bristol and Warren. One house near Silver Creek was flooded and evacuated. The Bristol County Medical Center was forced to shut down for two days because of flooding in the electrical rooms.||The Bristol Wastewater Pollution Control Department was overwhelmed with stormwater, both in the processing of wastewater and in the plant itself. Three of the tanks engines were overwhelmed with water and broke down and roughly one million gallons of untreated sewage overflowed into the ground to be flushed into the bay.
Three to five inches of rain fell across Bristol County. This resulted in flash flooding across most of the county. In Bristol, Franklin, Chestnut, and James Streets were flooded. Route 114 near the Mount Hope Bridge and the Lobster Pot was closed due to flooding. Ward Street was flooded and closed. One house was evacuated at the end of the street. Several basements also were flooded. In Warren, Main Street was flooded with 4 inches of water and Market Street was flooded with 6-8 inches of water. Homestead Avenue was flooded with three feet of water. Long Wharf Drive and Columbus Street were flooded with one foot of water.
Several large trees were downed by thunderstorm winds, including one on Devonshire Drive, another on Opechee Drive, and a couple on the golf course at Rhode Island Country Club. Large branches also were downed on Middle Highway, Nayatt Road, Plymouth Drive and at Primrose Hill Cemetery near Barrington Town Hall.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
50,490
Population (ACS)
$514K
Median home value
20
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 2022 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Aug 21, 2021 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HENRI | EM |
| Mar 30, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Apr 3, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Mar 22, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Bristol County, Rhode Island?
70 events are on record between 1972 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $6.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Bristol County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 20 recorded events — 28.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Bristol County?
1 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 1 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Bristol County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Bristol County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Bristol County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bristol County as very low risk, placing it in the 19 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Bristol County, Rhode Island severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Kent County 184
- Newport County 80
- Providence County 451
- Washington County 131
Cite this page
“Bristol County, Rhode Island.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/rhode-island/bristol-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.