Rhode Island, 2000

Heavy Snow in Rhode Island, February 18 to 19, 2000

February 18 to 19, 2000 · NWS BOX · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

Low pressure tracking from the Ohio Valley to the coast of southern New England brought heavy snow to much of the Ocean State, with the exception of the south coast where 3 to 5 inches of snow fell. Most places in central and northern Rhode Island received 6 to 8 inches of snow from this storm, with the highest amounts in northwest Providence County.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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.

Low pressure tracking from the Ohio Valley to the coast of southern New England brought heavy snow to much of the Ocean State, with the exception of the south coast where 3 to 5 inches of snow fell. Most places in central and northern Rhode Island received 6 to 8 inches of snow from this storm, with the highest amounts in northwest Providence County. The storm coincided with the beginning of the Presidents' Day holiday weekend and the start of school vacation week, and snarled traffic on major highways and created treacherous driving conditions. Dozens of accidents were reported, many due to excessive speed. At T.F. Green State Airport in Warwick, where nearly 5 inches of snow fell, about 60 percent of the scheduled flights were canceled during the height of the storm.Some snowfall totals from the storm include 8 inches in Smithfield; 7 inches in Burrillville and North Kingstown; and 6 inches in downtown Providence, Warwick, Woonsocket, Cranston, and Hopkinton.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Northwest Providence

When
February 18, 1:00 PM EST to February 19, 1:00 PM EST
Where
Northwest Providence forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.871, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Bristol

When
February 18, 1:00 PM EST to February 19, 1:00 PM EST
Where
Bristol forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.706, -71.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Eastern Kent

When
February 18, 1:00 PM EST to February 19, 1:00 PM EST
Where
Eastern Kent forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.673, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southeast Providence

When
February 18, 1:00 PM EST to February 19, 1:00 PM EST
Where
Southeast Providence forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.871, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Washington

When
February 18, 1:00 PM EST to February 19, 1:00 PM EST
Where
Washington forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.397, -71.620 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Western Kent

When
February 18, 1:00 PM EST to February 19, 1:00 PM EST
Where
Western Kent forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
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

More

Every storm in Rhode Island in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Rhode Island, February 2000

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: 5133371, 5133372, 5133373, 5133374, 5133375, 5133376.