List of Rhode Island tornadoes

This is a list of all tornadoes reported in the US state of Rhode Island. Although tornadoes are very rare in this state, at least 15 have been recorded in modern history. Additionally, because of high population density and property values, Rhode Island ranks 5th among states in potential losses due to tornadoes.[1]

Tornadoes
  • August 15, 1787: A part of the Four-State Tornado Swarm of 1787, a tornado moved into the state from Windham County, Connecticut and tore the roofs from some homes in Glocester before passing into Massachusetts.[2][3]
  • August 30, 1838: A major tornado, possibly the worst in Rhode Island history, passed south of Providence. It uprooted and stripped trees of their branches, unroofed or destroyed many houses, and sucked water out of ponds. The tornado barely missed a local railroad depot, where many people were waiting for a train. Five people were injured by the tornado.[2][4]
  • August 25, 1882: A tornado damaged two barns and destroyed many trees in Johnston.[5]
  • September 14, 1972: A weak F0 tornado hit east of Newport.[6]
  • August 26, 1985: An F1 tornado passed from Connecticut into rural North Foster, causing no reported damage to structures.[6]
  • August 7, 1986: The only multiple-tornado day ever recorded in Rhode Island. A weak F1 tornado briefly touched down near Lincoln around 3:30 PM local time. At approximately 4:30pm a tornado destroyed a home at 43 Hillwood St, Providence owned by Lynn Panchuk Price. It stayed on the ground for 4 miles (6 km), injuring 20 people and causing around $2.5 million in damage.[2][6][7]
  • August 8, 1986: Another tornado struck the state again on this day. Touching down at the unusual time of 9:30 AM north of Bridgeton, it continued on the ground for more than 6 miles (9 km) before passing into Massachusetts near North Smithfield. Three people were injured by this F1 tornado.[6][8]
  • September 23, 1989: An F0 tornado caused minor damage in Cranston.[9]
  • October 18, 1990: An F1 touched down in Warwick, crossed Narragansett Bay as a waterspout, and dissipated in Riverside.[10]
  • August 13, 1994: A small tornado damaged trees along a one-mile path in Coventry.[11]
  • August 16, 2000: A very minor F0 tornado damaged a few trees along a 50-foot path in Foster.[12]
  • July 23, 2008: A waterspout moved onshore as a low-end EF1 tornado in Warren, moving east-northeast into Massachusetts.[13]
  • August 10, 2012: A waterspout moved onshore on the southern end of Block Island, moving north across the whole length of the island. Minor EF0 damage to trees and homes was reported.[14]
  • October 23, 2018: An EF1 tornado struck Lincoln around 3:30 local time, causing damage to trees and homes, an EF0 tornado struck neighboring North Providence causing damage to mostly trees. Other waterspouts were reported across the state, though they did not cause any reported damage. No injurers were reported. This small outbreak continued across New England with tornados reported in Norton and other Massachusetts towns.
  • October 2, 2019: An EF0 tornado hit Portsmouth and lasted for 2 minutes. It damaged a couple of trees.

See also

References
  1. A.M. Best's Tornado Study: New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Ohio, Rhode Island Top List of Modeled Insured Losses Accessed January 21, 2009.
  2. The Tornado Project. "Worst" Tornadoes Archived 2016-03-02 at WebCite Retrieved on July 2, 2007.
  3. Grazulis, pg. 553
  4. Allen, Zachariah; Hare, Robert (1839). "Account of a Tornado". Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. American Philosophical Society. 6: 297–301. doi:10.2307/1005326. JSTOR 1005326.
  5. "Tornado in Rhode Island" (PDF). New York Times. August 26, 1882. p. 2. Retrieved June 3, 2008.
  6. Data from the Storm Prediction Center archives, which are accessible through SeverePlot, free software created and maintained by John Hart, lead forecaster for the SPC.
  7. Event Details: 1986-08-07 15:15:00.0 EST
  8. Event Details: 1986-08-08 09:15:00.0 EST
  9. Event Details: 1989-09-23 14:30:00.0 EST
  10. events/eventdetails.jsp?id=10117657 Event Details: 1990-10-18 22:10:00.0 EST
  11. Event Details: 1994-08-13 17:30:00.0 EST
  12. Event Details: 2000-08-16 14:00:00.0 EST
  13. Event Details: 2008-07-23 15:05:00.0 EST-5
  14. Event Details: 2012-08-10 14:54:00.0 EST-5
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