Funnel Cloud, Kent
- When
- August 20, 1:35 PM EST
- Where
- Kent County, Warwick
- Coordinates
- 41.673, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Funnel Clouds in Rhode Island, August 20, 1997
There were numerous reports of funnel clouds across northern Rhode Island, as well as southeastern Massachusetts during the afternoon of the 20th. There was a confirmation of an extremely brief tornado touchdown in Plymouth, MA that afternoon, however a report of a very weak tornado at North Central Airport in North Smithfield, RI were not able to be confirmed.
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.
There were numerous reports of funnel clouds across northern Rhode Island, as well as southeastern Massachusetts during the afternoon of the 20th. There was a confirmation of an extremely brief tornado touchdown in Plymouth, MA that afternoon, however a report of a very weak tornado at North Central Airport in North Smithfield, RI were not able to be confirmed. Cloud tops associated with the convection that produced this phenomena were in the low range from 10,000 to 20,000 feet except for isolated slightly higher tops. There were no reports of damage or injury.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
4 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
Funnel Cloud, Providence
- When
- August 20, 1:50 PM EST
- Where
- Providence County, Pawtucket
- Coordinates
- 41.871, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Funnel Cloud, Providence
- When
- August 20, 2:50 PM EST
- Where
- Providence County, North Smithfield
- Coordinates
- 41.871, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Funnel Cloud, Providence
- When
- August 20, 3:30 PM EST
- Where
- Providence County, Woonsocket
- Coordinates
- 41.871, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Funnel Cloud
- A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heavy Rain in Connecticut, August 20 to 21, 1997
- Flash Flood in New Jersey, August 20 to 21, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Utah, August 20, 1997
- Flash Flood in New Jersey, August 20 to 21, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, August 20, 1997
- Flash Flood in New Jersey, August 20 to 21, 1997
- Flash Flood in New Jersey, August 20 to 21, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Texas, August 20, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, August 20, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, August 20, 1997
- Damaging Winds in North Carolina, August 20, 1997
- Flood in Michigan, August 20 to 22, 1997
More
Every storm in Rhode Island in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Rhode Island, August 1997
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: 5623236, 5623237, 5623238, 5623239.