Providence County, Rhode Island severe weather history spans 451 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 38.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,060 nationally and #1 in Rhode Island.
451
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
35
Direct injuries
$36.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Providence County, Rhode Island severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Providence County, Rhode Island severe weather history averages 6.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 137 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 21 events fall before 1990 and 430 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $27.0M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Providence County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 175 | 0 | $1.7M | 70 | 1957–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 74 | 0 | $2.7M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 72 | 0 | $27.0M | 0 | 2006–2024 |
| Hail | 63 | 0 | $20K | 2 | 1965–2025 |
| Lightning | 28 | 0 | $670K | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 24 | 0 | $30K | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Tornado | 12 | 0 | $4.6M | F2 | 1985–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Providence 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
13 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 10 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-08-18 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 9.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-08-07 | EF2 | 0 | 20 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-06-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-09-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-09-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-09-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2018-10-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-08-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-08-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-08-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Providence County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 7, 1986 | Tornado | 0 | 20 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 16, 2001 | Lightning | BURRILLVILLE | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Jul 1, 2012 | Lightning | CHEPACHET | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Sep 23, 1989 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Jul 4, 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | HUGHESDALE | 0 | 2 | $1K |
| Aug 18, 2023 | Tornado | WATERMAN FOUR CORNER | 0 | 1 | $250K |
| Jun 22, 2002 | Lightning | WEST GLOCESTER | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 3, 2002 | Lightning | CRANSTON | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
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 90-100 mph, which is classified as EF-1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. Damage became more sporadic farther north on Elden Court, Dennell Drive, and Christopher Drive, where a few large trees and branches were downed. Winds in those areas were estimated at 60-80 mph, which is classified as EF-0. The tornado lifted near Christopher Drive around 334 PM EDT.
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.
A microburst likely caused 20 to 30 trees to be snapped off. Some fell onto a house and a truck. Most of the damage occurred along a swath one-half mile long by one to two blocks wide in the Village of Greenville, which is part of Smithfield. Up to 7,500 electric customers lost power in the area. Some residents claimed that they may have seen a funnel cloud.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
664,854
Population (ACS)
$374K
Median home value
25
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 20, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 7, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Providence County, Rhode Island?
451 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $36.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Providence County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 175 recorded events — 38.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Providence County?
13 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 10 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Providence County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Providence County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Providence County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Providence County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 94 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Providence 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
- Newport County 80
- Washington County 131
- Kent County 184
- Bristol County 70
Cite this page
“Providence County, Rhode Island.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/rhode-island/providence-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.