States › Rhode Island › Providence County

Providence County, Rhode Island

Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.

FIPS 44007 · 658,221 residents (2021) · 409 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 63Tornado · 12Flood · 146Wind · 175Winter · 0

Providence County within Rhode Island. Dots: HailTornadoFloodWind event locations in the kept record. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.

Providence County, Rhode Island, has 451 weather events in the NCEI Storm Events record since 1950, most of them damaging wind.

That is 110.1 events per 100 square miles, below the Rhode Island figure of 240.3, and 6.9 per 10,000 residents against 22.7 statewide.

10 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 0 deaths and 38 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $37M.

FEMA has designated the county in 25 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Severe Storms And Flooding (major disaster, 20 Mar 2024).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 1,626 claims since 1978, of which 1,281 were paid, totalling $49M (about $38K per paid claim). FEMA counts 834 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Moderate" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Moderate" ($130M a year across 18 hazards).

63 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 5 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

10events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

451events since 19500 deaths, 38 injuries recorded

25disaster declarationslast 20 Mar 2024

1,626NFIP flood claims$49M paid

Compared with Rhode Island and the United States

Measure	Providence County	Rhode Island	US
Recorded events since 1950	451	2,484	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	110.1	240.3	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	6.9	22.7	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	10	40	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	0	11	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$37M	$135M	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	2.5	6.4	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$38K	$28K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	19.2	6.4	16.1

County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.

Events by decade

Wind: 1

Hail: 2Wind: 2

Hail: 1Wind: 5

Tornado: 5Wind: 5

Hail: 11Flood: 16Wind: 20Other: 13

Hail: 24Tornado: 1Flood: 25Wind: 35Lightning: 17Other: 6

Hail: 20Tornado: 1Flood: 48Wind: 60Lightning: 8

Hail: 5Tornado: 5Flood: 57Wind: 47Lightning: 3Other: 8

11950s41960s61970s101980s601990s1082000s1372010s1252020s

Recorded events in Providence County by decade and hazard group. HailTornadoFloodWindLightningOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Trend: 321 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 113 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.

Events by type

Wind175

Flood146

Hail63

Lightning28

Other27

Tornado12

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	175	—	16.3%	detail
■ Flood	146	—	42.9%	detail
■ Hail	63	—	45.0%	detail
■ Lightning	28	—	47.5%
■ Other	27	—	20.1%
■ Tornado	12	—	60.0%	detail

Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.

Largest recorded events

Date	Event type	Group	Magnitude	Property damage	Crop damage	Deaths	Injuries	Geography
7 Aug 1986	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$2.5M	—	—	20	County
15 Jul 2001	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	4	County
5 Sep 2022	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$1.0M	—	—	3	County
23 Sep 1989	Tornado	Tornado	F0	$250K	—	—	3	County
1 Jul 2012	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	3	County
29 Mar 2010	Flood	Flood	—	$27M	—	—	—	County
4 Jul 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	$1K	—	—	2	County
18 Aug 2023	Tornado	Tornado	EF2	$250K	—	—	1	County
3 Apr 2002	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	1	County
22 Jun 2002	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	1	County
2 Sep 2013	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$1.5M	—	—	—	County
23 Oct 2018	Tornado	Tornado	EF1	$1.0M	—	—	—	County
21 Aug 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	71 mph	$500K	—	—	—	County
7 Aug 1986	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$250K	—	—	—	County
8 Aug 1986	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$250K	—	—	—	County
9 Jun 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	$250K	—	—	—	County
17 Jun 2001	Lightning	Lightning	—	$150K	—	—	—	County
25 Jun 2012	Lightning	Lightning	—	$150K	—	—	—	County
31 May 2002	Lightning	Lightning	—	$100K	—	—	—	County

Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.

Federal disaster declarations

Declared	Number	Type	Incident	Title	Programs
20 Mar 2024	DR-4766	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance
20 Mar 2024	DR-4765	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storm And Flooding	Individual assistance
7 Jan 2024	DR-4753	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes	Individual assistance
12 May 2022	DR-4653	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm	Public assistance
21 Aug 2021	EM-3563	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Henri	Public assistance
30 Mar 2020	DR-4505	Major disaster	Biological	Covid-19 Pandemic	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Mar 2020	EM-3440	Emergency	Biological	Covid-19	Public assistance
3 Apr 2015	DR-4212	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm	Public assistance
22 Mar 2013	DR-4107	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm	Public assistance
29 Oct 2012	EM-3355	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Sandy	Public assistance
3 Sep 2011	DR-4027	Major disaster	Hurricane	Tropical Storm Irene	Public assistance
27 Aug 2011	EM-3334	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Irene	Public assistance
30 Mar 2010	EM-3311	Emergency	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Public assistance
29 Mar 2010	DR-1894	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
19 Sep 2005	EM-3255	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Katrina Evacuation	Public assistance
17 Feb 2005	EM-3203	Emergency	Snowstorm	Record Snow	Public assistance
27 Mar 2003	EM-3182	Emergency	Snowstorm	Snow	Public assistance
19 Nov 1996	EM-3123	Emergency	Other	Major Water Main Break	Public assistance
24 Jan 1996	DR-1091	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Blizzard Of 96 (Severe Snow Storm)	Public assistance
16 Mar 1993	EM-3102	Emergency	Snowstorm	Blizzards, High Winds & Record Snowfall	Public assistance
16 Sep 1992	EM-3094	Emergency	Toxic Substances	Water Contamination	Public assistance
26 Aug 1991	DR-913	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Bob	Individual assistance, Public assistance
15 Oct 1985	DR-748	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Gloria	Public assistance
16 Feb 1978	DR-548	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Snow & Ice	Individual assistance
7 Feb 1978	EM-3058	Emergency	Snowstorm	Blizzard & Snowstorms	Public assistance

Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.

Flood insurance claims

197820022026

NFIP claims by year of loss in Providence County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 19781,626

Paid claims1,281

Total paid$49M

Average paid claim$38K

Repetitive-loss properties19223 severe

Residential policies in force8340.5% of 153,665 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	4	3	$205,898	$68,633
2025	2	2	$502,465	$251,232
2024	58	46	$3,898,707	$84,755
2023	62	45	$4,155,172	$92,337
2022	5	4	$439,365	$109,841
2021	8	5	$583,329	$116,666
2020	2	1	$4,120	$4,120
2019	2	0	$0	—
2018	15	10	$121,598	$12,160
2017	2	2	$29,797	$14,898
2016	1	1	$4,661	$4,661
2015	7	1	$3,384	$3,384
2014	5	3	$18,400	$6,133
2013	17	13	$238,762	$18,366
2012	4	2	$58,834	$29,417
2011	6	5	$47,346	$9,469
2010	476	406	$19,152,430	$47,173
2009	7	3	$5,109	$1,703
2008	23	20	$582,289	$29,114
2007	18	15	$626,543	$41,770
2006	39	34	$1,441,278	$42,391
2005	232	202	$9,412,544	$46,597
2004	4	4	$11,666	$2,917
2003	1	0	$0	—
2002	3	1	$4,570	$4,570

OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).

National Risk Index

Overall riskRelatively Moderatescore 93.7 of 100

Expected annual loss$130MRelatively Moderate

Social vulnerabilityRelatively Moderate

Community resilienceRelatively High

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively High	$93,321,124
Hurricane	Relatively Moderate	$9,477,685
Heat wave	Relatively High	$8,829,575
Cold wave	Relatively High	$6,908,198
Earthquake	Relatively Low	$4,413,150
Tornado	Relatively Moderate	$3,301,449
Lightning	Relatively High	$1,011,009
Ice storm	Relatively High	$660,948
Hail	Relatively Moderate	$635,550
Strong wind	Relatively Moderate	$553,340
Coastal flooding	Relatively Low	$305,415
Winter weather	Relatively Low	$37,198
Drought	Relatively Low	$36,437
Wildfire	Very Low	$14,387
Landslide	Relatively Low	$8,059

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.

Hurricane and tropical storm passes

Tracks within 100 miles63

Tracks within 50 miles24

Hurricane strength within 50 miles5

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Elsa	2021	31 mi	58 mph
Henri	2021	34 mi	63 mph
Andrea	2013	71 mi	46 mph
Irene	2011	89 mi	58 mph
Hanna	2008	7 mi	52 mph
Barry	2007	54 mi	40 mph
Beryl	2006	82 mi	52 mph
Hermine	2004	43 mi	40 mph
Floyd	1999	31 mi	58 mph
Bertha	1996	23 mi	69 mph
Josephine	1996	67 mi	52 mph
Bob	1991	34 mi	104 mph
Gloria	1985	63 mi	86 mph
Henri	1985	88 mi	40 mph
Belle	1976	66 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1968	78 mi	63 mph
Alma	1966	56 mi	46 mph
Esther	1961	72 mi	86 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1961	70 mi	63 mph
Brenda	1960	78 mi	46 mph
Donna	1960	58 mi	92 mph
Cindy	1959	47 mi	58 mph
Diane	1955	67 mi	46 mph
Carol	1954	45 mi	115 mph
Edna	1954	64 mi	109 mph

HURDAT2 best-track positions at tropical-storm strength (34 kt) or more, measured from the county's Census centre point; through the 2025 season. Distance from a track is not the same as the extent of the storm's wind, rain or surge.

ZIP codes with flood claims

02920 236
02910 212
02904 201
02909 148
02919 118
02914 67
02905 67
02911 65
02864 50
02860 36
02865 32
02915 32
02863 32
02831 32
02903 31
02917 27
02916 26
02906 24
02921 22
02896 16
29040 14
02907 14
02908 14
02895 13
02859 13
02802 9
02828 9
02825 8
02814 8
02940 6

ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.

Questions and answers

How often does it hail in Providence County, RI?

NCEI records 63 hail events in Providence County since 1950, in 26 different years; that is about 0.8 recorded events a year. 10 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Providence County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 12 tornadoes in Providence County since 1950, 2 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Providence County?

20 Mar 2024: Severe Storms And Flooding, a major disaster declaration for severe storm. The county appears in 25 declarations since 1953.

How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Providence County, and how much was paid?

1,626 NFIP claims since 1978, 1,281 of them paid, for $49M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Providence County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?

FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Moderate" for overall risk, "Relatively Moderate" for expected annual loss, "Relatively Moderate" for social vulnerability and "Relatively High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does Providence County compare with the rest of Rhode Island?

110.1 recorded events per 100 square miles against 240.3 statewide, and 2.5 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 6.4. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.

Provenance

Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.