Heavy Snow, Northwest Providence
- When
- December 23, 9:00 AM EST to 3:00 PM 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, December 23, 1997
A low pressure system developing off the Delaware coast moved to the northeast and intensified rapidly, passing southeast of Cape Cod. This storm brought a surprise heavy snowfall to northern Rhode Island.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
- 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 low pressure system developing off the Delaware coast moved to the northeast and intensified rapidly, passing southeast of Cape Cod. This storm brought a surprise heavy snowfall to northern Rhode Island. Heavy snowfall was a surprise to everyone including weather forecasters. Despite some slick driving and early school dismissals, there was little disruption to many local communities. However, in the Woonsocket-Cumberland area there were dozens of auto accidents. The maximum snowfall total was 14 inches at Burrillville in the northwest corner of the state. Other totals included: Cumberland, 7.8 inches; Woonsocket, 7.5 inches; and North Foster, 6 inches. The rest of the state had 1 to 4 inches, except less than an inch fell along the coast.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
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 Oklahoma, December 23 to 24, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, December 23, 1997
- Winter Storm in Utah, December 23 to 25, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Texas, December 23, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, December 23, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, December 23, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Oregon, December 23, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Texas, December 23 to 24, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Texas, December 23, 1997
- Flash Flood in Alaska, December 23 to 31, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Oklahoma, December 23 to 24, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, December 23, 1997
More
Every storm in Rhode Island in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Rhode Island, December 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: 5625814.