Thunderstorm Wind, Washington
- When
- August 24, 10:25 AM EST to 10:40 AM EST
- Where
- Washington County, Block Island
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Property damage
- $750,000
- Coordinates
- 41.170, -71.580
Damaging Wind in Rhode Island, August 24, 1996
A severe thunderstorm struck Block Island during the late morning with wind gusts estimated to hurricane force by local mariners. The automated weather station at the airport reported sustained winds of 34 knots and a peak gust to 52 knots from the north-northwest.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $750,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS BOX wrote it up.
A severe thunderstorm struck Block Island during the late morning with wind gusts estimated to hurricane force by local mariners. The automated weather station at the airport reported sustained winds of 34 knots and a peak gust to 52 knots from the north-northwest. Several small boats were sunk and more than 30 young sailing students fell into the water when 10 of 11 boats capsized off Sakonnet Point. The students were quickly rescued and no serious injuries were reported. There were 58 accident reports requested out of 500 boats moored on the Island. Several boats dragged their anchors in the Great Salt Pond and ended up on a mud flat. Forty-five boats were damaged by the storm, according to the local harbormaster. Damage to boats was estimated at between half a million and one million dollars.
The radar
The Boston radar (KBOX), 95 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:24 UTC.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Wildfire in Oregon, August 24 to 31, 1996
- Flash Flood in North Carolina, August 24, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Virginia, August 24, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, August 24, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Virginia, August 24, 1996
- Lightning Strike in New York, August 24, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, August 24, 1996
- Flash Flood in Texas, August 24, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, August 24, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, August 24, 1996
- Flash Flood in New Mexico, August 24, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, August 24, 1996
More
Every storm in Rhode Island in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Rhode Island, August 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5582204.