NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Kingston, 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
61 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Kingston, Rhode Island since 1851, 16 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 13 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 16
- Tropical storms
- 45
- Tornadoes
- 13
- 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 Kingston
The strongest storm to pass near Kingston was an unnamed storm in 1869, a Category 3 hurricane with 113 mph winds when its centre passed 7 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1944, whose centre crossed the city. The record near Kingston begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 36 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 7 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 61 systems, 8 have come since 2000. Kingston is tied for the most hurricanes within 75 miles among the 49 Rhode Island cities on this site. The highest rating among the 13 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on August 18, 2023, came within 22 miles. Of the 13, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 8 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 4. Of the 49 Rhode Island cities, 84% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Kingston. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 22 times since 1995, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 49 Rhode Island cities, 73% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Kingston.
Compare Kingston's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Kingston
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | HenriAug 22 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2007 | BarryJun 4 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2006 | BerylJul 21 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | HermineAug 31 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | JosephineOct 9 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 19 | 9 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 71 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | HenriSep 24 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1966 | AlmaJun 14 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1961 | EstherSep 21 | 63 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 32 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | CindyJul 11 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | EdnaSep 11 | 50 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 21 mi | Category 3 (112 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 21 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | overhead | Category 1 (94 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 72 mi | Category 3 (113 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 20 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormAug 26 | 75 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 21 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 5 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormOct 2 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 30 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 30 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 13 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 10 | 46 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 25 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormOct 12 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 26 | 69 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 21 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 24 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 19 | 30 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 5 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 27 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormOct 4 | 55 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 8 | 7 mi | Category 3 (113 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 21 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 21 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormOct 19 | 7 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 Kingston: 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 Kingston
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s3
- 2000s1
- 1990s2
- 1980s2
- 1970s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 18, 2023 | EF2 | 22 mi | 9.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 7, 1986 | F2 | 20 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Nov 13, 2021 | EF1 | 17 mi | 1.36 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 23, 2008 | EF1 | 20 mi | 4.28 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 1990 | F1 | 16 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 13, 2021 | EF0 | 6 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 13, 2021 | EF0 | 23 mi | 6.13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 2, 2019 | EF0 | 16 mi | 0.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 29, 2018 | EF0 | 17 mi | 2.33 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 10, 2012 | EF0 | 19 mi | 3.83 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 13, 1994 | F0 | 14 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 23, 1989 | F0 | 20 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 13, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Kingston
The Storm Prediction Center has 22 hail reports within 10 miles of Kingston since 1995, made on 17 separate days. Of these, 12 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. July has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Kingston
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Kingston 1 W, RI, in Kingston at 106 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 19°F. March is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 51.7 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 (24.6 of 51.7 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 61 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (24); a normal September there has highs of 73°F and 4.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 4 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 135 nights a year. That 51.7 inches is more than at 6 of the 10 Rhode Island stations used on this site (60%). West Kingston, 3 miles northwest, has its own station (Kingston, RI): 53.2 inches a year, 1.5 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 80°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Newport, RI, 11 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, 11 miles from Kingston, 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.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 19 | 4.2 | 7 | 41 |
| Feb | 39 | 21 | 3.9 | 7 | 39 |
| Mar | 46 | 27 | 5.7 | 7 | 42 |
| Apr | 56 | 36 | 4.5 | 7 | 47 |
| May | 66 | 45 | 3.6 | 7 | 55 |
| Jun | 75 | 54 | 4.0 | 7 | 64 |
| Jul | 80 | 60 | 3.3 | 6 | 71 |
| Aug | 79 | 59 | 4.1 | 6 | 72 |
| Sep | 73 | 52 | 4.3 | 6 | 69 |
| Oct | 62 | 41 | 4.5 | 8 | 63 |
| Nov | 52 | 32 | 4.4 | 7 | 54 |
| Dec | 43 | 25 | 5.2 | 8 | 46 |
| Year | 59 | 39 | 51.7 | 83 | 55 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Kingston 1 W, RI (106 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 Kingston
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 46 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Kingston: 26 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 floods, 4 lightning strikes and 3 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $264,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 83 mph, on August 4, 2015.
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 Kingston, 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 Kingston
- West Kingston, RI3 mi
- Wakefield, RI4 mi
- Saunderstown, RI4 mi
- Narragansett, RI5 mi
- Exeter, RI7 mi
- North Kingstown, RI8 mi
- Jamestown, RI8 mi
- Charlestown, RI10 mi
- Hope Valley, RI11 mi
- Newport, RI11 mi
- East Greenwich, RI12 mi
- West Greenwich, RI12 mi
All Rhode Island cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Kingston with another place →