NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit West Greenwich, 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
57 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of West Greenwich, Rhode Island since 1851, 12 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ida in 2021. Since 1950, 25 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 12
- Tropical storms
- 45
- Tornadoes
- 25
- 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 West Greenwich
The strongest storm to pass near West Greenwich was an unnamed storm in 1869, a Category 3 hurricane with 112 mph winds when its centre passed 3 miles away. The record near West Greenwich begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Ida in 2021, a tropical storm 48 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1960s, with 6 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 57 systems, 8 have come since 2000. Of the 49 Rhode Island cities on this site, 22% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than West Greenwich. The highest rating among the 25 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on August 18, 2023, came within 13 miles. Of the 25, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 15 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 8. The most recent tornado was on June 26, 2024. Of the 49 Rhode Island cities, 59% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than West Greenwich. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 31 times since 1955, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 49 Rhode Island cities, 53% have more hail reports within 10 miles than West Greenwich.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near West Greenwich
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IdaSep 2 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | HenriAug 22 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 9 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 8 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | HannaSep 7 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2007 | BarryJun 4 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2006 | BerylJul 21 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | HermineAug 31 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1999 | FloydSep 17 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | JosephineOct 9 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 13 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1991 | BobAug 19 | 20 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | GloriaSep 27 | 60 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | HenriSep 24 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1976 | BelleAug 10 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1968 | Unnamed 1968 stormSep 11 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1966 | AlmaJun 14 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1961 | EstherSep 26 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1961 | Unnamed 1961 stormSep 15 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 12 | 21 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 30 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | CindyJul 11 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 19 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | EdnaSep 11 | 61 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1954 | CarolAug 31 | 11 mi | Category 3 (110 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 2 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 15 | 12 mi | Category 1 (93 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormSep 21 | 65 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormSep 9 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 20 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 21 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 17 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 5 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1913 | Unnamed 1913 stormOct 2 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormMay 30 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 30 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormSep 15 | 25 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 16 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 24 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 10 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 10 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 25 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormOct 12 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 12 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 22 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 24 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 19 | 43 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 5 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 30 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 27 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormOct 4 | 64 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1869 | Unnamed 1869 stormSep 8 | 3 mi | Category 3 (112 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 3 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormSep 28 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 16 | 11 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormOct 19 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in West Greenwich: 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 West Greenwich
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s3
- 2000s2
- 1990s3
- 1980s6
- 1970s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 18, 2023 | EF2 | 13 mi | 9.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 7, 1986 | F2 | 15 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Jun 26, 2024 | EF1 | 23 mi | 0.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 2024 | EF1 | 23 mi | 8.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 13, 2023 | EF1 | 23 mi | 0.21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 13, 2023 | EF1 | 16 mi | 0.21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 13, 2023 | EF1 | 15 mi | 1.61 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 18, 2023 | EF1 | 22 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 13, 2021 | EF1 | 19 mi | 1.36 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2018 | EF1 | 20 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 23, 2008 | EF1 | 21 mi | 4.28 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 1992 | F1 | 14 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 25, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in West Greenwich
The Storm Prediction Center has 31 hail reports within 10 miles of West Greenwich since 1955, made on 25 separate days. Of these, 17 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 has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in West Greenwich
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Kingston, RI, 11 miles southeast of West Greenwich 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 57 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%). Greene, 6 miles northwest, has its own station (N Foster 1 E, RI): 53.8 inches a year, 0.6 more than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 83°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Conimicut Light, RI, 18 miles east, averaged 76°F in July and 38°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F. Sea level at the Providence tide gauge, 19 miles from West Greenwich, has risen 1.04 ± 0.05 inches per decade from 1938 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 10.4 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 58 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 21 | 4.2 | 7 | 10.0 | 40 |
| Feb | 43 | 22 | 3.8 | 7 | 9.9 | 38 |
| Mar | 49 | 28 | 5.6 | 7 | 6.2 | 43 |
| Apr | 60 | 37 | 4.9 | 8 | 1.1 | 50 |
| May | 70 | 47 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 | 59 |
| Jun | 78 | 56 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 | 68 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 | 76 |
| Aug | 82 | 60 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 | 75 |
| Sep | 76 | 53 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 | 71 |
| Oct | 65 | 42 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.1 | 63 |
| Nov | 55 | 34 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.6 | 53 |
| Dec | 45 | 26 | 5.3 | 8 | 6.6 | 44 |
| Year | 62 | 41 | 53.2 | 83 | 34.5 | 57 |
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 Conimicut Light, 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 West Greenwich
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 86 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of West Greenwich: 43 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 floods, 12 flash floods, 9 lightning strikes and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 14, and the NWS estimated $26.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on July 1, 2012. July has had the most flash floods, 5 of 12. Of the 49 Rhode Island cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 17 have had fewer than West Greenwich.
August 5, 2009: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of West Greenwich — 9 injured.
June 21, 2024: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of West Greenwich — 4 injured.
March 29, 2010: flood 6 miles from the centre of West Greenwich — 1 injured, $24.8 million damage.
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
Kent County, which includes West Greenwich, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1978, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 hurricanes, 6 severe storms, 6 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on March 20, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Kent County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, coastal flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $32.3 million a year, the 2nd highest of 5 Rhode Island counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $23.4 million (73%), 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 West Greenwich
- Exeter, RI5 mi
- Greene, RI6 mi
- Coventry, RI7 mi
- Hope Valley, RI8 mi
- Hope, RI9 mi
- West Warwick, RI9 mi
- West Kingston, RI10 mi
- Voluntown, CT10 mi
- Sterling, CT11 mi
- East Greenwich, RI11 mi
- Foster, RI11 mi
- North Kingstown, RI11 mi
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