Skip to content

NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hope Valley, 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 Hope Valley, Rhode Island since 1851, 13 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 18 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
13

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
45

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
18

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
0

no recorded deaths

What the records show for Hope Valley

The strongest storm to pass near Hope Valley was an unnamed storm in 1869, a Category 3 hurricane with 114 mph winds when its centre passed 4 miles away. The record near Hope Valley begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 41 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. Hope Valley has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 77% of the 49 Rhode Island cities on this site. The highest rating among the 18 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on August 18, 2023, came within 21 miles. Of the 18, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on September 13, 2023. Of the 49 Rhode Island cities, 71% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Hope Valley. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 15 times since 1995, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 49 Rhode Island cities, 88% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Hope Valley.

Compare Hope Valley's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hope Valley

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Hope Valley, Rhode Island, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2021IdaSep 241 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 4
2021HenriAug 2212 miTropical storm (54 mph)Category 1
2021ElsaJul 96 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 1
2013AndreaJun 87 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
2008HannaSep 719 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 1
2007BarryJun 411 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
2006BerylJul 2172 miTropical storm (52 mph)Tropical storm
2004HermineAug 3142 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1999FloydSep 1739 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 4
1996JosephineOct 952 miTropical storm (52 mph)Tropical storm
1996BerthaJul 1335 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 3
1991BobAug 1918 miCategory 2 (99 mph)Category 3
1985GloriaSep 2761 miCategory 1 (86 mph)Category 4
1985HenriSep 2463 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1976BelleAug 1059 miTropical storm (54 mph)Category 3
1968Unnamed 1968 stormSep 1164 miTropical storm (62 mph)Tropical storm
1966AlmaJun 1443 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 3
1961EstherSep 2170 miCategory 1 (86 mph)Category 5
1961Unnamed 1961 stormSep 1533 miTropical storm (64 mph)Tropical storm
1960DonnaSep 1222 miCategory 1 (86 mph)Category 4
1960BrendaJul 3049 miTropical storm (51 mph)Tropical storm
1959CindyJul 1137 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 1
1955DianeAug 1944 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 2
1954EdnaSep 1160 miCategory 2 (109 mph)Category 3
1954CarolAug 3110 miCategory 3 (112 mph)Category 3
1952AbleSep 275 miTropical storm (48 mph)Category 2
1944Unnamed 1944 stormOct 2173 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 4
1944Unnamed 1944 stormSep 1510 miCategory 2 (97 mph)Category 5
1938Unnamed 1938 stormSep 2162 miCategory 3 (112 mph)Category 5
1934Unnamed 1934 stormSep 940 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 2
1934Unnamed 1934 stormJun 2023 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 2
1923Unnamed 1923 stormOct 1953 miTropical storm (55 mph)Tropical storm
1916Unnamed 1916 stormJul 2128 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 2
1916Unnamed 1916 stormMay 1718 miTropical storm (58 mph)Tropical storm
1915Unnamed 1915 stormAug 533 miTropical storm (41 mph)Category 1
1913Unnamed 1913 stormOct 252 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 1
1908Unnamed 1908 stormMay 307 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
1907Unnamed 1907 stormJun 3031 miTropical storm (41 mph)Tropical storm
1904Unnamed 1904 stormSep 1521 miCategory 1 (84 mph)Category 1
1902Unnamed 1902 stormJun 167 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1897Unnamed 1897 stormSep 2414 miTropical storm (49 mph)Tropical storm
1896Unnamed 1896 stormSep 1056 miTropical storm (72 mph)Category 3
1894Unnamed 1894 stormOct 1025 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 3
1889Unnamed 1889 stormSep 2553 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 2
1888Unnamed 1888 stormOct 1258 miTropical storm (45 mph)Category 2
1888Unnamed 1888 stormSep 1210 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1888Unnamed 1888 stormAug 2227 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 3
1882Unnamed 1882 stormSep 2453 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1879Unnamed 1879 stormAug 1939 miCategory 1 (83 mph)Category 3
1877Unnamed 1877 stormOct 526 miTropical storm (66 mph)Category 3
1874Unnamed 1874 stormSep 3047 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 1
1872Unnamed 1872 stormOct 278 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 1
1869Unnamed 1869 stormOct 465 miCategory 2 (104 mph)Category 2
1869Unnamed 1869 stormSep 84 miCategory 3 (114 mph)Category 3
1861Unnamed 1861 stormNov 34 miTropical storm (64 mph)Category 1
1861Unnamed 1861 stormSep 2854 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 1
1858Unnamed 1858 stormSep 1611 miCategory 1 (79 mph)Category 2
1851Unnamed 1851 stormOct 194 miTropical storm (52 mph)Tropical storm

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Hope Valley: 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 Hope Valley

By decade

  • 2020s7
  • 2010s3
  • 2000s1
  • 1990s3
  • 1980s3
  • 1970s1
Strongest tornadoes near Hope Valley, Rhode Island
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Aug 18, 2023EF221 mi9.1 mi0 / 1
Aug 7, 1986F223 mi4 mi0 / 20
Sep 13, 2023EF124 mi0.21 mi0 / 0
Sep 13, 2023EF121 mi1.61 mi0 / 0
Aug 18, 2023EF123 mi2.7 mi0 / 0
Nov 13, 2021EF110 mi1.36 mi0 / 0
Oct 29, 2018EF121 mi1.96 mi0 / 0
Jul 14, 1992F118 mi0.2 mi0 / 0
Oct 18, 1990F119 mi4.5 mi0 / 0
Aug 26, 1985F124 mi1.5 mi0 / 0
Nov 13, 2021EF013 mi1.5 mi0 / 0
Nov 13, 2021EF015 mi6.13 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 18, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Hope Valley

The Storm Prediction Center has 15 hail reports within 10 miles of Hope Valley since 1995, made on 13 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. June and July have the most reports, 5 each.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Hope Valley

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Kingston, RI, 10 miles east of Hope Valley at 117 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 21°F. March is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 53.2 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 48% of the year's precipitation (25.6 of 53.2 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 58 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (24); a normal September there has highs of 76°F and 4.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 9 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 128 nights a year. Snowfall averages 34.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 53.2 inches is more than at 8 of the 10 Rhode Island stations used on this site (80%). Ashaway, 6 miles southwest, has its own station (Westerly State Airport, RI): 42.9 inches a year, 10.3 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 83°F.

Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Newport, RI, 21 miles east, averaged 72°F in August and 39°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F. Sea level at the Newport tide gauge, 21 miles from Hope Valley, has risen 1.17 ± 0.03 inches per decade from 1930 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 11.7 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 68 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Kingston, RI
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow inWater °F
Jan40214.2710.041
Feb43223.879.939
Mar49285.676.242
Apr60374.981.147
May70473.880.055
Jun78564.170.064
Jul83623.360.071
Aug82604.360.072
Sep76534.460.069
Oct65425.070.163
Nov55344.570.654
Dec45265.386.646
Year624153.28334.555

Averages for 1991–2020 at Kingston, RI (117 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Newport, RI, 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 Hope Valley

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 39 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hope Valley: 21 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 lightning strikes, 6 flash floods and 5 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $28.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on June 24, 2008. July has had the most flash floods, 3 of 6. Of the 49 Rhode Island cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 6 have had fewer than Hope Valley.

  • June 21, 2024: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Hope Valley — 4 injured.

  • March 29, 2010: flood 7 miles from the centre of Hope Valley — 1 injured, $24.8 million damage.

  • July 13, 2017: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Hope Valley — 1 injured.

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

Flood insurance policyholders in Hope Valley's ZIP code 02832 have filed 18 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $363,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from March 2010 Nor'easter in 2010: 12 claims (67% of all) and $346,000. 72% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 38 Rhode Island cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 5 have fewer than Hope Valley.

Flood insurance claims in Hope Valley by named event
EventClaimsPaid
March 2010 Nor'easter201012$346,000

Washington County, which includes Hope Valley, 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 Hope Valley