NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

(INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM THE 1998 PRINT-VERSION PROVIDENCE JOURNAL-BULLETIN ALMANAC)

CLIMATE OF RHODE ISLAND

The proximity to Narragansett Bay and the Atlantic Ocean plays an important part in determining the climate for the state and for Providence. In winter, the temperatures in the coastal communities are modified considerably, and many major snowstorms are changed to rain. In summer, many days that would be uncomfortably warm are cooled by refreshing sea breezes. At other times, sea fog may move onshore with southerly winds. Most cases of dense fog are produced this way, but the number of such days is few, averaging only two days a month.

Rhode Island is threatened by a tropical storm or hurricane on the average of one year in five, usually between late July and the end of October. In the past 350 years, a major hurricane affected Rhode Island on the average of one year in fifteen. These hurricanes can cause substantial coastal flooding and beach erosion, and major damage to structures from the wind. Although not tropical in nature, coastal storms also produce the severest weather in the winter months.

Extreme temperatures are infrequent in Rhode Island because of the marine influence on the state. Temperatures exceeding 90 degrees occur nine days a year at Providence, between late April and September. Temperatures dropping below zero occur two to three days a year, between December and February; but winters are relatively cool; freezing temperatures occur 120 days a year. The average date for the first freeze in fall is late October, and the average last freeze in spring is mid April. The growing season is 195 days in length.

Measurable precipitation falls on about one day in three, and is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. There is usually no definite dry season, but occasional droughts occur.

Thunderstorms are responsible for much of the rainfall from May through August. They usually produce heavy, sometimes even excessive amounts of rainfall. However, since their duration is short, damage is usually light. The thunderstorms of summer very rarely produce a tornado, but are frequently accompanied by very gusty winds, which may result in damage to property.

The first measurable snowfall of winter usually comes near Thanksgiving, and the last measurable snowfall in spring is around the middle of March. The record snowfall for Providence was 75.6 inches in the winter of 1947-1948. More recently, in part due to the blizzard of 1978, the winter of 1977-1978 had 70.2 inches of snow. Total snowfall during the winter of 1995-96 smashed all records — 106.1 inches of snow fell. However, snowfall greater than 50 inches in a year is infrequent, and the average annual snowfall is around 36 inches. The winter with the least snowfall was 1997-1998 when only 8.9 inches of snow was recorded.

 

SOURCE: 1998 JOURNAL-BULLETIN ALMANAC