Tornado History Map

Rhode Island tornado history

22 tornadoes recorded in Rhode Island from 1972 to 2024, drawn on the map and coloured by rating.

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Years1950 to 2025
Rating (F or EF scale)

Shows tornadoes that started in, or crossed, the chosen state. To see how many have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • F0 / EF0 Light damage
  • F1 / EF1 Moderate damage
  • F2 / EF2 Considerable damage
  • F3 / EF3 Severe damage
  • F4 / EF4 Devastating damage
  • F5 / EF5 Incredible damage
  • Unknown Not rated (2007 onwards)

How to read the lines. Each line is one tornado, drawn from where it started to where it ended, coloured and sized by its rating. A dot means the record has no end point. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see how many tornadoes have passed nearby. Weaker tornadoes appear as you zoom in. Ratings use the Fujita (F) scale before 1 February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale from then on.

Tornadoes in Rhode Island

The Storm Prediction Center records 22 tornadoes that touched Rhode Island between 1972 and 2024, and 17 of them began there. A tornado that crossed a state line counts in every state it touched. None of them is recorded as having killed anyone. The busiest month is August, with 9 tornadoes.

  • 22tornadoes
  • 0deaths
  • 24injuries
  • 213per 10,000 sq mi of land
  • 5counties touched

Tornadoes per 10,000 square miles lets you compare states of different sizes. It counts every tornado that touched the state.

How strong were Rhode Island's tornadoes?

RatingTornadoesShare
F0 / EF0836%
F1 / EF11255%
F2 / EF229%
F3 / EF300%
F4 / EF400%
F5 / EF500%
Unknown rating00%

Rhode Island tornadoes over time

Tornadoes by decade
Bar chart of tornadoes by period. The most is 9 in 2020s.1970s11980s51990s22000s22010s32020s9

The 2020s only run to 2024, so that bar is for a shorter period. The record starts in 1972.

Show the numbers
PeriodCount
1970s1
1980s5
1990s2
2000s2
2010s3
2020s9

The record has changed over the decades as detection and reporting improved, so more weak tornadoes show up in recent years than in the 1950s. The year with the most in Rhode Island was 2023, with 5.

Tornadoes by month
Bar chart of tornadoes by period. The most is 9 in Aug.Jan0Feb0Mar0Apr0May0Jun1Jul1Aug9Sep5Oct3Nov3Dec0
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May0
Jun1
Jul1
Aug9
Sep5
Oct3
Nov3
Dec0

Strongest tornadoes that touched Rhode Island

  • Rhode Island tornado18 August 2023, EF2, 1 injury, 9.1 miles long
  • Rhode Island tornado7 August 1986, F2, 20 injuries, 4 miles long
  • Rhode Island tornado26 June 2024, EF1, 8.6 miles long
  • Massachusetts tornado18 August 2023, EF1, 7.6 miles long
  • Rhode Island tornado8 August 1986, F1, 7 miles long
  • Rhode Island tornado18 October 1990, F1, 4.5 miles long

Most recent tornadoes in Rhode Island

  • Rhode Island tornado26 June 2024, EF1, 8.6 miles long
  • Rhode Island tornado13 September 2023, EF1, 0.2 miles long
  • Rhode Island tornado13 September 2023, EF1, 0.2 miles long
  • Connecticut tornado13 September 2023, EF1, 1.6 miles long
  • Massachusetts tornado18 August 2023, EF1, 7.6 miles long

Many of these tornadoes killed or injured people. The numbers are the official record's, and they may be revised.

Rhode Island counties

Every county that a tornado has touched is listed, most tornadoes first. 2 of them have at least 3 tornadoes and their own page.

CountyTornadoesStrongest
Providence County14F/EF2
Washington County3F/EF1
Bristol County2F/EF1
Kent County2F/EF1
Newport County1F/EF0

Other states

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