Washington County, Rhode Island severe weather history spans 131 recorded events between 1959 and 2024. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 38.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,776 nationally and #3 in Rhode Island.
131
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$26.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Washington County, Rhode Island severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Washington County, Rhode Island severe weather history averages 2.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 44 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 5 events fall before 1990 and 126 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Washington County, Rhode Island record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $24.9M 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 Washington County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 51 | 0 | $922K | 100 | 1959–2023 |
| Hail | 27 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1995–2024 |
| Flood | 20 | 0 | $24.9M | 0 | 2006–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 14 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2003 |
| Lightning | 8 | 1 | $52K | 0 | 2001–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $427K | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Tornado | 3 | 0 | $150K | EF1 | 2012–2021 |
| Waterspout | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1996 |
Decade by decade
Washington 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
3 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 2 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-11-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-11-13 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-08-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Washington County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 11, 2004 | Lightning | NARRAGANSETT PIER | 1 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
At approximately 518 PM EST, a tornado touched down just southwest of Dillon Avenue in North Kingstown. Several large, healthy hardwood trees were uprooted or snapped, while a few standing trees were sheared at their tops. The tornado then crossed over Route 102 onto Himes Street. In addition to numerous downed hardwood trees on Himes Street, approximately four to five power poles were snapped in half and a fallen tree caused window and roof damage to a home. The tornado then continued to track northeast toward Juniper Drive, where large branches (diameter approximately 15 inches) were downed across the neighborhood. Smaller downed branches were also visible along Route 1 as the tornado moved northeast. At approximately 524 PM EST, the tornado lifted over Hopedale Avenue in Wickford. The EF0 rating, with maximum estimated wind speeds of 80 mph, was based on several uprooted or snapped hardwood trees and minor shearing of tree tops on a few standing trees. No major structural damage was observed, aside from the building on Himes Street, which was caused by a downed tree.
A tornadic waterspout over the waters south of Block Island moved northward onto land as a tornado over the southern portion of the island a little before 4pm. On Lakeside Drive, it downed several trees, deck furniture was thrown 100 yards away, and screens were blown off a house. An anemometer at a house on Sand's Pond Road was damaged. Fifty trees were blown down on a farm. Several trees in New Shoreham were downed and there was lawn damage occurred on Chapel Street. Farther to the northeast, there were eyewitness reports of a rotating column that moved steadily across a narrow region just to the west of Jerry's Point. A path of flattened brush 50 feet wide was reported there.
The Pawcatuck River in Westerly and at Wood River Junction rose above flood stage after three to six inches of rain fell in southern Rhode Island. This resulted in flooded basements and yards. While the bulk of the flooding occurred on the 14th and 15th, it took until the 20th for the waters to recede below flood stage.||The Towers (a local landmark) in Narragansett suffered from flood damage when rain leaked through the third floor and down to the second floor. Town Hall also sustained minor flood damage. Bonnet Shores Road between Allagash Trail and the Bonnet Shores Beach Club was closed by floodwaters. Beaver River Schoolhouse Road in Richmond was closed after a culvert under the road washed away, making the road impassable.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
130,344
Population (ACS)
$511K
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 |
| Apr 14, 2023 | Fire | QUEENS RIVER FIRE | FM |
| 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 Washington County, Rhode Island?
131 events are on record between 1959 and 2024, causing 1 direct deaths and $26.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Washington County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 51 recorded events — 38.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Washington County?
3 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 2 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Washington County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Washington County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Washington County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Washington County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 64 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Washington 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
- Providence County 451
- Newport County 80
- Kent County 184
- Bristol County 70
Cite this page
“Washington County, Rhode Island.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/rhode-island/washington-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.