Rhode Island floods
Every recorded flood since 1996 · 5 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 340 floods and flash floods in Rhode Island from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 12 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the March 14, 2010 flood in Kent County: 1 death and $1.8 million in damage in 2025 dollars. Rhode Island ranks 51st of 52 states and territories by count and 4th of 51 per square mile.
Floods in Rhode Island, 1996 to 2026
Flood records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 3401996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 12average
- Deaths
- 14 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $146Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 202339 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are floods and flash floods common in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island averages about 12 floods and flash floods a year since 2000, 51st of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2023 (39). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Rhode Island records 3289 floods and flash floods since 1996, 4th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Rhode Island have the most floods and flash floods?
Per square mile, Kent County leads Rhode Island: 47 days with a flood since 1996, 278.8 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Providence County has the most flood records (172 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is flood season in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island's floods and flash floods by month. The busiest month is July (66 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 19 · Feb 7 · Mar 28 · Apr 24 · May 10 · Jun 36 · Jul 66 · Aug 37 · Sep 59 · Oct 34 · Nov 3 · Dec 17 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest floods and flash floods in Rhode Island?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-03-14 | FloodLakewood, Kent County The South Branch of the Pawtuxet River at Washington rose above flood stage and the main branch of the Pawtuxet River at Cranston rose into major flood, eventually setting a record crest following three to four inches of rain. The main branch of the Pawtuxet River flooded portions of Warwick and West Warwick. Multiple ... | 1 | 0 | $1.8M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest floods and flash floods in Rhode Island
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-03-29 | FloodHoward, Providence County One storm episode: 5 records in 5 places, 2010-03-29 to 2010-03-30; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 1 | $117M | |
| 2012-10-29 | Hurricane Sandy · Coastal FloodWashington County · forecast zone Washington One storm episode: 4 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $14M | |
| 2001-03-22 | FloodProvidence County · forecast zone Northwest Providence | 0 | 0 | $5.0M | |
| 2013-09-02 | Flash FloodWaterman Four Corner, Providence County | 0 | 0 | $1.9M | |
| 2010-03-14 | FloodLakewood, Kent County | 1 | 0 | $1.8M | |
| 2005-10-15 | FloodProvidence County · forecast zone Southeast Providence One storm episode: 4 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | |
| 2022-09-05 | Flash FloodNorth Providence, Providence County | 0 | 3 | $1.0M | |
| 1998-02-18 | Flash FloodSoutheast Portion, Washington County | 0 | 0 | $724K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are floods and flash floods becoming more frequent in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Rhode Island | United States | Rhode Island's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 37 | 20,986 | 0.18% |
| 2000s | 100 | 54,913 | 0.18% |
| 2010s | 107 | 68,322 | 0.16% |
| 2020-26 | 96 | 43,563 | 0.22% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent floods and flash floods in Rhode Island
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-23 | Flash FloodTiverton, Newport County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-23 | Flash FloodNewport County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-23 | Flash FloodNewport County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-09-25 | Flash FloodBristol County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2022-09-05 | Flash FloodNorth Providence, Providence County | 0 | 3 | $1.0M | |
| 2013-09-02 | Flash FloodWaterman Four Corner, Providence County | 0 | 0 | $1.9M | |
| 2012-10-29 | Coastal FloodBristol County · forecast zone Bristol | 0 | 0 | $283K | |
| 2012-10-29 | Coastal FloodWashington County · forecast zone Block Island | 0 | 0 | $4.0M | |
| 2012-10-29 | Coastal FloodNewport County · forecast zone Newport | 0 | 0 | $3.9M | |
| 2012-10-29 | Coastal FloodWashington County · forecast zone Washington | 0 | 0 | $6.0M | |
| 2010-03-30 | FloodConanicut Park, Newport County | 0 | 0 | $4.8M | |
| 2010-03-30 | FloodBristol County | 0 | 0 | $8.0M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for floods and flash floods in Rhode Island
FEMA has declared 7 disasters in Rhode Island for floods and flash floods, counting its incident type and declarations that name flood in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 6 were major disasters, the latest on March 20, 2024.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-03-20 | DR-4766 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 4 |
| 2024-03-20 | DR-4765 | Severe Storm and Flooding | 3 |
| 2024-01-07 | DR-4753 | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes | 1 |
| 2010-03-30 | EM-3311 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 5 |
| 2010-03-29 | DR-1894 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 5 |
| 2007-05-25 | DR-1704 | Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding | 1 |
| 1955-08-20 | DR-39 | Hurricane & Flood | 1 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Kent County: the county's whole recordThe Rhode Island county with the most floods and flash floods per square mile
- Floods across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in Rhode IslandTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- High wind and dust storms in Rhode Island730 records
- Winter storms in Rhode Island605 records
- Severe thunderstorm wind in Rhode Island346 records