Heavy Snow, Northwest Providence
- When
- January 11, 4:00 AM EST to 12:00 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, January 11, 1997
A developing low pressure system south of Long Island spread snow across the entire state. Snowfall totals ranged from about 4 inches along the south coast to 7 inches in the northwest corner of the state.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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
- 5
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 developing low pressure system south of Long Island spread snow across the entire state. Snowfall totals ranged from about 4 inches along the south coast to 7 inches in the northwest corner of the state. The maximum total was 7.4 inches at North Foster. Some other totals included: Warwick, 7.1 inches; Scituate and Burrillville, 7.0 inches; East Providence, 6.7 inches; Pawtucket, 6.5 inches; and Glocester, Lincoln, and downtown Providence, 6.0 inches. This was a quick-hitting storm system with snowfall rates up to two inches per hour. Most of the snowfall lasted only 6 hours. Since this snow fell on a Saturday morning. there were minimal effects on highway travel, but there were the usual spinouts and minor collisions on the highways.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Bristol
- When
- January 11, 4:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Bristol forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.706, -71.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Eastern Kent
- When
- January 11, 4:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Eastern Kent forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.673, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Southeast Providence
- When
- January 11, 4:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM 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 11, 4:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Western 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
- Blizzard in Utah, January 11 to 14, 1997
- Avalanche in Washington, January 11, 1997
- Winter Storm in New Mexico, January 11 to 14, 1997
- Cold in New Mexico, January 11, 1997
- Cold in North Carolina, January 11, 1997
- Winter Storm in Texas, January 11 to 14, 1997
- Winter Weather in Oklahoma, January 11 to 12, 1997
- Winter Weather in New Jersey, January 11, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, January 11 to 14, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Texas, January 11 to 12, 1997
- Cold in Colorado, January 11 to 12, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, January 11, 1997
More
Every storm in Rhode Island in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Rhode Island, January 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5591972, 5591973, 5591974, 5591975, 5591976.