Heavy Snow, Northwest Providence
- When
- January 2, 9:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Northwest Providence forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.871, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Rhode Island, January 2 to 3, 1996
A strong low pressure system moved from Tennessee to the Virginia coast and then northeast off the New Jersey coast, passing southeast of Cape Cod. This system produced heavy snow across the central and northern part of the state.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 4
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 strong low pressure system moved from Tennessee to the Virginia coast and then northeast off the New Jersey coast, passing southeast of Cape Cod. This system produced heavy snow across the central and northern part of the state. Some snowfall totals, which included light snow which fell into the early morning hours on the 4th included: Woonsocket, 12.0 inches; Johnston, 11.0 inches; Coventry, 9.5 inches; Warwick, 7.3 inches; Middletown, 3.0 inches; and Block Island, 2.0 inches. Most schools and some businesses were closed on the 3rd. The morning commute on the 3rd was a difficult one when snow fell at the rate of 0.5 to 2.0 inches per hour.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Southeast Providence
- When
- January 2, 9:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Southeast Providence forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.871, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Western Kent
- When
- January 2, 9:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Western Kent forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.673, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Eastern Kent
- When
- January 2, 9:00 PM EST to January 3, 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Eastern Kent forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.673, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Heavy Snow
- Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, January 2 to 3, 1996
- Winter Storm in Kansas, January 2, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Ohio, January 2 to 3, 1996
- Winter Storm in Ohio, January 2 to 3, 1996
- Winter Storm in Indiana, January 2 to 3, 1996
- Heavy Snow in New York, January 2 to 3, 1996
- Winter Storm in Illinois, January 2 to 3, 1996
- Winter Storm in Indiana, January 2 to 3, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Georgia, January 2, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Florida, January 2, 1996
- Heavy Snow in New York, January 2 to 3, 1996
- Tornado in South Carolina, January 2, 1996
More
Every storm in Rhode Island in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Rhode Island, January 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5551975, 5551976, 5551977, 5551978.