NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ashaway, RI
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
58 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Ashaway, Rhode Island since 1851, 14 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 10 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 14
- Tropical storms
- 44
- Tornadoes
- 10
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Ashaway
The strongest storm to pass near Ashaway was an unnamed storm in 1869, a Category 3 hurricane with 115 mph winds when its centre passed 5 miles away. The record near Ashaway begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 37 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1960s, with 6 systems, 2 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 58 systems, 8 have come since 2000. Ashaway has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 83% of the 49 Rhode Island cities on this site. The highest rating among the 10 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1 or EF1, reached 4 times; the most recent, on August 18, 2023, came within 25 miles. Of the 10, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 7 have come since 2000. August and November have had the most tornadoes, 3 each. Of the 49 Rhode Island cities, 92% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Ashaway. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 13 times since 1998, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 49 Rhode Island cities, 92% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Ashaway.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ashaway
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | HenriAug 22 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2007 | BarryJun 4 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2006 | BerylJul 21 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | HermineAug 31 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | JosephineOct 9 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 19 | 17 mi | Category 2 (101 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 60 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | HenriSep 24 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1966 | AlmaJun 14 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1961 | EstherSep 21 | 67 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 23 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | CindyJul 11 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | EdnaSep 11 | 60 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 9 mi | Category 3 (113 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 21 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 8 mi | Category 2 (99 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 58 mi | Category 3 (114 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 20 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 21 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 5 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormOct 2 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 30 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 30 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 18 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 10 | 59 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 25 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormOct 12 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 24 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 19 | 37 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 5 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 27 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormOct 4 | 67 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 8 | 5 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 10 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 21 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormOct 19 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Ashaway: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Ashaway
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s3
- 1990s2
- 1970s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 18, 2023 | EF1 | 25 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 13, 2021 | EF1 | 4 mi | 1.36 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 29, 2018 | EF1 | 15 mi | 1.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 1992 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 13, 2021 | EF0 | 18 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 13, 2021 | EF0 | 19 mi | 6.13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 29, 2018 | EF0 | 4 mi | 2.33 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 10, 2012 | EF0 | 19 mi | 3.83 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 13, 1994 | F0 | 20 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 14, 1972 | F0 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 10 of 10, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ashaway
The Storm Prediction Center has 13 hail reports within 10 miles of Ashaway since 1998, made on 9 separate days. Of these, 9 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 30, 1998. The most recent report is from August 26, 2024. August has the most reports, 5.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ashaway
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Westerly State Airport, RI, 6 miles south of Ashaway at 81 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 25°F. October is the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 42.9 inches over 73 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (21.6 of 42.9 inches). September has brought the most of the 58 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (23); a normal September there has highs of 74°F and 3.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 109 nights a year. That 42.9 inches is more than at 1 of the 10 Rhode Island stations used on this site (10%). Hope Valley, 6 miles northeast, has its own station (Kingston, RI): 53.2 inches a year, 10.3 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 82°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station New London, CT, 17 miles west, averaged 71°F in August and 39°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F. Sea level at the New London tide gauge, 17 miles from Ashaway, has risen 1.16 ± 0.04 inches per decade from 1938 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 11.6 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 66 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 25 | 3.3 | 6 | 41 |
| Feb | 41 | 26 | 2.8 | 5 | 39 |
| Mar | 47 | 32 | 4.2 | 6 | 43 |
| Apr | 57 | 41 | 3.9 | 7 | 49 |
| May | 67 | 50 | 3.3 | 7 | 56 |
| Jun | 75 | 59 | 3.6 | 7 | 64 |
| Jul | 82 | 66 | 2.9 | 5 | 71 |
| Aug | 81 | 64 | 3.5 | 5 | 71 |
| Sep | 74 | 57 | 3.8 | 5 | 70 |
| Oct | 64 | 47 | 4.3 | 6 | 63 |
| Nov | 54 | 38 | 3.5 | 6 | 55 |
| Dec | 45 | 30 | 3.8 | 7 | 46 |
| Year | 60 | 45 | 42.9 | 73 | 56 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Westerly State Airport, RI (81 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station New London, CT, from NOAA Tides & Currents. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Ashaway
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 56 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ashaway: 25 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 floods, 12 flash floods and 5 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 12, and the NWS estimated $5.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 83 mph, on August 4, 2015. July has had the most flash floods, 6 of 12. Of the 49 Rhode Island cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 17 have had fewer than Ashaway.
June 25, 2012: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Ashaway — 11 injured.
July 13, 2017: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Ashaway — 1 injured.
March 30, 2010: flood 3 miles from the centre of Ashaway — $4.0 million damage.
NWS: “In Stonington and N. Stonington, numerous roads were closed and reports of numerous houses with serious basement flooding, up to 3 ft.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Washington County, which includes Ashaway, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1978, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 hurricanes, 7 snowstorms, 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on March 20, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Washington County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, inland flooding, coastal flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $31.7 million a year, the 3rd highest of 5 Rhode Island counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $22.0 million (69%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Ashaway
- Bradford, RI3 mi
- North Stonington, CT5 mi
- Pawcatuck, CT5 mi
- Westerly, RI5 mi
- Hope Valley, RI6 mi
- Charlestown, RI7 mi
- Stonington, CT9 mi
- Ledyard, CT11 mi
- Voluntown, CT11 mi
- Mystic, CT11 mi
- Preston, CT11 mi
- West Kingston, RI11 mi
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