States › Rhode Island › 1997
Rhode Island, 1997
The year's recorded storm events, federal disaster declarations and flood insurance claims.
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.
Events by hazard
Includes events recorded by forecast zone. The state's yearly total for 1997 was 140 against 141 in 1996.
Counties with the most recorded events
| County | Events in 1997 |
|---|---|
| Newport County | 29 |
| Bristol County | 20 |
| Washington County | 19 |
| Providence County | 10 |
| Kent County | 5 |
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Jun 1997 | Kent | Lightning | — | $250,000 | — | — |
| 1 Apr 1997 | Forecast zone | Heavy Snow | — | $100,000 | — | — |
| 1 Apr 1997 | Forecast zone | Heavy Snow | — | $100,000 | — | — |
| 1 Apr 1997 | Newport | Heavy Snow | — | $100,000 | — | — |
| 1 Apr 1997 | Forecast zone | Heavy Snow | — | $100,000 | — | — |
| 1 Apr 1997 | Bristol | Heavy Snow | — | $100,000 | — | — |
| 1 Apr 1997 | Forecast zone | Heavy Snow | — | $100,000 | — | — |
| 1 Apr 1997 | Washington | Heavy Snow | — | $100,000 | — | — |
| 22 Jun 1997 | Providence | Thunderstorm Wind | 81 mph | $70,000 | — | — |
| 22 Jun 1997 | Bristol | Thunderstorm Wind | 81 mph | $70,000 | — | — |
| 22 Jun 1997 | Bristol | Lightning | — | $50,000 | — | — |
Up to 40 events with deaths, injuries, damage of $50,000 or more, or a tornado rating, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage.
Federal disaster declarations in 1997
No declaration touching Rhode Island was made in 1997.
Flood insurance claims with a 1997 date of loss
33 NFIP claims, 25 of them paid, for $149,855.
Sources: NOAA NCEI Storm Events through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 (29 Sep 2026); OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 (8 Sep 2026). Built 30 Sep 2026.