74
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$2.7M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Providence County, Rhode Island: 74 recorded events between 1996 and 2024. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #307 nationally and #1 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Providence County, Rhode Island: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Providence County is the 2020s, when 38 of the county's 74 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Providence County archive, flash flood makes up 16.4% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #307 for this hazard and #1 within Rhode Island, putting it in the 90.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for flash flood in Providence County with 23 recorded events, while Feb is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 23, 2024 | NORTH PROVIDENCE | 0 | $0 |
| May 23, 2024 | SOUTH PROVIDENCE | 0 | $0 |
| May 23, 2024 | HARBOR JCT | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 13, 2024 | OLNEYVILLE | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 13, 2023 | HAMLET | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 13, 2023 | HAMLET | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 13, 2023 | HAMLET | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 12, 2023 | LONSDALE | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 11, 2023 | ABBOTT RUN | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 11, 2023 | ABBOTT RUN | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Providence County
- Thunderstorm Wind 175
- Flood 72
- Hail 63
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Central Avenue in Pawtucket was flooded with 6 inches of water. In Providence, cars were stuck in flood waters near the Dunkin Donuts Center in LaSalle Square. The entrance to Roger Williams Hospital was closed for an hour due to flooding. In North Providence, a basement flooded on Sherwood Avenue and a car was stuck in floodwaters on Brown Street. Reservoir Avenue at Park Avenue in Cranston was closed due to flooding.
Cars were stranded on Oaklawn and Wilbur Avenues in Cranston with water nearly to the cars roofs. In Providence, the northbound portion of Route 10 from Union Avenue to Westminster Street was closed due to flooding from 0903am EST to 0924am EST. The southbound portion of Route 10 at Reservoir Avenue were closed as well and reopened at 1030am EST. Numerous cars were stranded in floodwaters in Cranston.
In East Providence, at 310 PM EDT (210 EST) flash flooding caused the blockage of all travel lanes on Interstate 195 westbound at Exit 2. At 323 PM EDT (225 PM EST), a car was reportedly stuck in flood waters on Roma Street. At 402 PM EDT (302 PM EST), Broadway was completely flooded between Juniper and Laura Streets. Also in East Providence, at 520 PM EDT (420 PM EST), Waterman Avenue was flooded and impassable.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Providence County, Rhode Island?
74 flash flood events are recorded in Providence County between 1996 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Providence County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Providence County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Providence County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in Providence County, Rhode Island.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/rhode-island/providence-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.