Rhode Island winter storms
Every recorded winter storm record since 1996 · 5 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 605 winter storm records in Rhode Island from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 20 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the February 8, 2013 heavy snow in Providence County: 1 death. Rhode Island ranks 48th of 51 states and territories by count and 2nd of 50 per square mile.
Winter storms in Rhode Island, 1996 to 2026
Winter storm 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
- 6051996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 20average
- Deaths
- 33 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $20Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 199656 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 winter storm records common in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island averages about 20 winter storm records a year since 2000, 48th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1996 (56). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Rhode Island records 5852 winter storm records since 1996, 2nd of 50 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 winter storm records?
Per square mile, Kent County leads Rhode Island: 104 days with a winter storm record since 1996, 617.0 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Providence County has the most winter storm records (209 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 winter storm season in Rhode Island?
58% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is February (190 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 161 · Feb 190 · Mar 117 · Apr 24 · May 0 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 4 · Nov 14 · Dec 95 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest winter storm records in Rhode Island?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-02-08 | Heavy SnowProvidence County · forecast zone Southeast Providence Seventeen to twenty-one inches of snow fell across southeastern Providence County. A Rhode Island man died from a heart attack while shoveling snow from the blizzard. No further details were available, including what city or town the man was from. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-22 | BlizzardNewport County · forecast zone Newport One storm episode: 8 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. Explosive cyclogenesis of a low pressure center off the Mid Atlantic coast brought a strong winter storm with blizzard conditions to central and eastern Massachusetts as well as Rhode Island on Monday. The storm tracked from east of the Carolinas to the 70w/40n benchmark bringing extreme snowfall rates of 2 to 4 ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2008-02-01 | Winter WeatherProvidence County · forecast zone Northwest Providence A car began skidding sideways while on a curve in the road and was struck by a loaded flatbed tow truck. The truck driver tried to avoid the accident, but because of the icy roads was unable to move quickly. The driver of the car was killed. | 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.
The costliest winter storm records in Rhode Island
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-03-05 | Heavy SnowProvidence County · forecast zone Northwest Providence | 0 | 0 | $17M | |
| 2001-03-09 | Heavy SnowProvidence County · forecast zone Northwest Providence | 0 | 0 | $833K | |
| 2005-12-09 | Winter StormKent County · forecast zone Western Kent | 0 | 2 | $151K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are winter storm 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.
| Decade | Rhode Island | United States | Rhode Island's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 95 | 32,893 | 0.29% |
| 2000s | 170 | 88,805 | 0.19% |
| 2010s | 272 | 103,626 | 0.26% |
| 2020-26 | 68 | 62,015 | 0.11% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent winter storm records in Rhode Island
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-22 | Heavy SnowBristol County · forecast zone Bristol | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-22 | Heavy SnowKent County · forecast zone Eastern Kent | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-22 | Heavy SnowKent County · forecast zone Western Kent | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-22 | BlizzardWashington County · forecast zone Washington | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-22 | BlizzardNewport County · forecast zone Newport | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-22 | BlizzardProvidence County · forecast zone Northwest Providence | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-22 | BlizzardProvidence County · forecast zone Southeast Providence | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-22 | BlizzardWashington County · forecast zone Block Island | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-06 | Heavy SnowWashington County · forecast zone Block Island | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-06 | Heavy SnowWashington County · forecast zone Washington | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-06 | Heavy SnowKent County · forecast zone Western Kent | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-25 | Heavy SnowWashington County · forecast zone Block Island | 0 | 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.
Federal disaster declarations for winter storm records in Rhode Island
FEMA has declared 9 disasters in Rhode Island for winter storm, counting its incident type and declarations that name snow or winter storm or ice storm or blizzard in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 5 were major disasters, the latest on May 12, 2022.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-05-12 | DR-4653 | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm | 6 |
| 2015-04-03 | DR-4212 | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm | 5 |
| 2013-03-22 | DR-4107 | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm | 5 |
| 2005-02-17 | EM-3203 | Record Snow | 5 |
| 2003-03-27 | EM-3182 | Snow | 2 |
| 1996-01-24 | DR-1091 | Blizzard of 96 (Severe Snow Storm) | 5 |
| 1993-03-16 | EM-3102 | Blizzards, High Winds & Record Snowfall | 5 |
| 1978-02-16 | DR-548 | Snow & Ice | 5 |
| 1978-02-07 | EM-3058 | Blizzard & Snowstorms | 5 |
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 winter storm records per square mile
- Winter storms across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in Rhode IslandTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
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- Floods in Rhode Island340 records