PlainHazard

Rhode Island heat

Every recorded heat record since 1996 · 4 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 35 heat records in Rhode Island from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 2.6 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the June 9, 2008 heat in Providence County: 2 deaths. Rhode Island ranks 48th of 51 states and territories by count and 16th of 50 per square mile.

Heat in Rhode Island, 1996 to 2026

Heat 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
351996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
2.6average
Deaths
33 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
–as filed
Busiest year
19999 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 heat records common in Rhode Island?

Rhode Island averages about 2.6 heat records a year since 2000, 48th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1999 (9). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Rhode Island records 339 heat records since 1996, 16th of 50 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. New Jersey 2320
  2. 2. Delaware 1555
  3. 3. Maryland 1330
  4. 4. Oklahoma 685
  5. 5. Illinois 590
  6. 6. Mississippi 584
  7. 7. Louisiana 576
  8. 8. Missouri 547
  9. 9. Tennessee 540
  10. 10. Puerto Rico 537
  11. 16. Rhode Island 339

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 heat records?

Per square mile, Kent County leads Rhode Island: 20 days with a heat record since 1996, 118.6 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Kent County has the most heat records (21 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).

  1. Kent County 118.6 (21)
  2. Providence County 19.5 (8)
  3. Newport County 19.5 (2)
  4. Washington County 6.1 (4)

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 the heat season in Rhode Island?

54% of its heat records since 1996 fell in June and July. The busiest month is July (16 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 1 · Feb 1 · Mar 5 · Apr 0 · May 4 · Jun 3 · Jul 16 · Aug 0 · Sep 3 · Oct 0 · Nov 0 · Dec 2 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest heat records in Rhode Island?

Rhode Island: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2008-06-09 HeatProvidence County · forecast zone Southeast Providence An elderly couple in Central Falls, RI was found dead in their apartment where temperatures had reached 102 degrees. 2 0 –
2013-07-20 HeatProvidence County · forecast zone Southeast Providence A 90 year old woman died at the Charlesgate Nursing Center in Providence. The woman was not in poor health but lived in a room without air conditioning. Despite air conditioned rooms being available to the woman, she remained in her room. The Rhode Island Medical Examiner's Office confirmed that the cause of death was ... 1 0 –

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.

Are heat records 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.

Heat: Rhode Island and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeRhode IslandUnited StatesRhode Island's share
1996-99174,3550.39%
2000s59,1630.05%
2010s1216,4450.07%
2020-26126,7960.00%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent heat records in Rhode Island

The 3 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2025-06-22 Excessive HeatWashington County · forecast zone Block Island 0 3 –
2013-07-20 HeatProvidence County · forecast zone Southeast Providence 1 0 –
2008-06-09 HeatProvidence County · forecast zone Southeast Providence 2 0 –

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.

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