Heavy Rain, Northwest Providence
- When
- March 8, 5:00 PM EST to March 9, 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Northwest Providence forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.871, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood and Lightning Strike in Rhode Island, March 8 to 10, 1998
A powerful storm system moving slowly toward the northeast from the Ohio Valley to the eastern Great Lakes brought strong winds and heavy rainfall to Rhode Island, resulting in urban street flooding, basement flooding, and river flooding. 0 feet.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 16 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
- $50,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 16
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 powerful storm system moving slowly toward the northeast from the Ohio Valley to the eastern Great Lakes brought strong winds and heavy rainfall to Rhode Island, resulting in urban street flooding, basement flooding, and river flooding. The Blackstone River at Woonsocket crested at 10.3 feet on March 10th at 6:00 PM; flood stage is 9.0 feet. Urban flood control systems prevented any flooding in the city. Several parking lots were reported flooded with up to 3 feet of water along the Blackstone River in Cumberland. At times the rainfall was torrential, especially in thunderstorms during the evening on March 9th. In West Warwick, a bolt of lightning struck a garage and the resulting fire spread to the nearby house. Damage was reported at $50,000. Two other lightning strikes did minor damage in Providence and Cumberland.Rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches were reported across the state, most of it falling in about 30 hours. A record daily rainfall total of 3.02" was set on March 9th at Providence. Some of the maximum totals across the state included: Coventry, 4.05"; Clayville, 3.90"; Johnston, Providence, and Cranston, 3.60"; Woonsocket, 3.43"; Warwick, T.F. Green Airport, and East Providence, 3.41"; West Warwick, 3.40"; and Hopkinton and Cumberland, 3.30". The rest of the state had between 2 and 3 inches. Urban street flooding was quite serious in many places. Many roads had to be closed due to flooding for periods varying from a few hours up to 12 to 24 hours. Flood-prone properties also reported flooding problems.Strong south winds gusting to 40 to 55 mph occurred after the passage of a warm front during the morning hours. The strong winds caused scattered power outages. A peak wind gust to 54 mph was reported at Tiverton. Siding was reported ripped off a vacant building in North Providence.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
7 heavy rain, 7 strong wind, 1 lightning, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Rain, Bristol
- When
- March 8, 5:00 PM EST to March 9, 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Bristol forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.706, -71.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Eastern Kent
- When
- March 8, 5:00 PM EST to March 9, 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Eastern Kent forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.673, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Newport
- When
- March 8, 5:00 PM EST to March 9, 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Newport forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.500, -71.281 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Southeast Providence
- When
- March 8, 5:00 PM EST to March 9, 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Southeast Providence forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.871, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Washington
- When
- March 8, 5:00 PM EST to March 9, 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Washington forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.397, -71.620 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Western Kent
- When
- March 8, 5:00 PM EST to March 9, 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Western Kent forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.673, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Northwest Providence
- When
- March 9, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Northwest Providence forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.871, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Bristol
- When
- March 9, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Bristol forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.706, -71.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Eastern Kent
- When
- March 9, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Eastern Kent forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.673, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Newport
- When
- March 9, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Newport forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.500, -71.281 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Southeast Providence
- When
- March 9, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Southeast Providence forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.871, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Washington
- When
- March 9, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Washington forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.397, -71.620 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Western Kent
- When
- March 9, 8:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Western Kent forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.673, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning, Kent
- When
- March 9, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Kent County, West Warwick
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 41.673, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Northwest Providence
- When
- March 10, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Northwest Providence forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.871, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Heavy Rain
- Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
- Strong Wind
- Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.
- Lightning
- A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
- Flood
- Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flash Flood in Alabama, March 8, 1998
- Flooding in Georgia, March 8 to 21, 1998
- Winter Storm in Illinois, March 8 to 9, 1998
- Flooding in Alabama, March 8 to 17, 1998
- Tornadoes in South Carolina, March 8, 1998
- Avalanche in Colorado, March 8, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Alabama, March 8, 1998
- Tornado in North Carolina, March 8, 1998
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Massachusetts, March 8 to 13, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Florida, March 8, 1998
- Flooding in Georgia, March 8 to 14, 1998
- Tornado in North Carolina, March 8, 1998
More
Every storm in Rhode Island in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Rhode Island, March 1998
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: 5643097, 5643098, 5643099, 5643100, 5643101, 5643102, 5643103, 5643104, 5643105, 5643106, 5643107, 5643108, 5643109, 5643110, 5643111, 5643112.