Rhode Island severe thunderstorm wind
Every recorded severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955 · 5 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 346 severe thunderstorm wind events in Rhode Island from 1955 through June 30, 2026, about 10 a year since 2000. The costliest was the August 24, 1996 thunderstorm wind ($1.4 million in 2025 dollars). Rhode Island ranks 49th of 52 states and territories by count and 20th of 51 per square mile.
Severe thunderstorm wind in Rhode Island, 1955 to 2026
Thunderstorm wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996.
- 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
- 1996: all 48 event types recorded from 1996
- Records
- 3461955 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 10average
- Deaths
- 02 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $5.1Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 201641 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 severe thunderstorm wind events common in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island averages about 10 severe thunderstorm wind events a year since 2000, 49th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2016 (41). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Rhode Island records 3347 severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955, 20th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1955, 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 severe thunderstorm wind events?
Per square mile, Kent County leads Rhode Island: 54 days with a severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955, 320.3 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Providence County has the most thunderstorm wind records (175 since 1955); 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 1955 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the severe thunderstorm season in Rhode Island?
49% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in July and August. The busiest month is August (86 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 0 · Feb 15 · Mar 12 · Apr 8 · May 21 · Jun 76 · Jul 85 · Aug 86 · Sep 14 · Oct 10 · Nov 17 · Dec 2 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1955.
The costliest severe thunderstorm wind events in Rhode Island
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-08-24 | Thunderstorm WindBlock Island, Washington County | 0 | 0 | $1.4M | |
| 2004-08-21 | Thunderstorm WindWoonsocket, Providence County | 62 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $781K |
| 2011-06-09 | Thunderstorm WindNorth Providence, Providence County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $328K |
| 1997-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindEast Providence, Providence County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $257K | |
| 2020-08-25 | Thunderstorm WindJamestown, Newport County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $57K |
| 2015-08-04 | Thunderstorm WindCharlestown, Washington County | 72 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $37K |
| 2000-08-10 | Thunderstorm WindWoonsocket, Providence County | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $26K |
| 2016-02-25 | Thunderstorm WindBristol County | 66 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $18K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are severe thunderstorm wind events 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-59 | 5 | 3,482 | 0.14% |
| 1960s | 4 | 10,124 | 0.04% |
| 1970s | 11 | 18,714 | 0.06% |
| 1980s | 15 | 39,604 | 0.04% |
| 1990s | 45 | 85,554 | 0.05% |
| 2000s | 58 | 129,990 | 0.04% |
| 2010s | 124 | 161,286 | 0.08% |
| 2020-26 | 84 | 126,815 | 0.07% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent severe thunderstorm wind events in Rhode Island
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-08-29 | Thunderstorm WindOak Lawn, Providence County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $800 |
| 2025-07-25 | Thunderstorm WindJohnston, Providence County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $300 |
| 2025-07-25 | Thunderstorm WindHarbor Jct, Providence County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $300 |
| 2025-07-25 | Thunderstorm WindEsmond, Providence County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $800 |
| 2025-07-25 | Thunderstorm WindPawtucket, Providence County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2025-07-08 | Thunderstorm WindHarrisville, Providence County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $300 |
| 2025-07-03 | Thunderstorm WindWarwick, Kent County | 54 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $100 |
| 2025-07-03 | Thunderstorm WindGreenwood, Kent County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-07-03 | Thunderstorm WindWest Barrington, Bristol County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2025-07-03 | Thunderstorm WindEdgewood, Providence County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2023-07-04 | Thunderstorm WindHughesdale, Providence County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 2 | $969 |
| 2020-08-25 | Thunderstorm WindJamestown, Newport County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $57K |
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 severe thunderstorm wind events in Rhode Island
FEMA files hail and wind disasters under the incident type Severe Storm: 8 declarations in Rhode Island, 7 of them 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 |
| 2015-04-03 | DR-4212 | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm | 5 |
| 2013-03-22 | DR-4107 | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm | 5 |
| 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 |
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 severe thunderstorm wind events per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind 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
- Floods in Rhode Island340 records