Strong Wind in Rhode Island, February 17, 2001

Name: Strong Wind in Rhode Island, February 17, 2001
Start: 2001-02-17T10:00
End: 2001-02-17T18:00
Location: Rhode Island

February 17, 2001 · NWS BOX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Northwest winds gusted between 45 and 55 mph throughout much of northern and eastern Rhode Island. There were no reports of wind damage.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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.

Northwest winds gusted between 45 and 55 mph throughout much of northern and eastern Rhode Island. There were no reports of wind damage.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Boston/Norton, MA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 17, 3:45 AM EST, 6 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 17, 3:45 AM EST, 6 hours 15 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
345 AM EST SAT FEB 17 2001

00Z MODELS LOOK IN REASONABLE AGREEMENT NEXT 48 HRS WITH SIMILAR
HANDLING OF H500 TROF MOVING THRU THIS AFTN.  AVN A LTL MORE
AMPLIFIED WITH H500 TROF IN NW FLOW COMING THRU NEW ENGLAND LATE
SUN AND CARRIES A LTL MORE RH IN THE H850-500 LAYER.  BUT SIMILAR
OVERALL  SCENARIO WITH OFFSHORE LOW DEEPENING AS IT MOVES S OF NS
AND PULLING COLD FRONT THRU F/A THIS AFTN.  HIGH PRES BUILDS IN
OVERNIGHT DECREASING STRONG PRES GRADIENT.  WEAK TROF SWINGS ACRS
NEW ENGLAND SUN AFTN WITH MOST ACTION IN THE NORTH.

RADAR SHOWS MOST PCPN NOW EITHER OFFSHORE OR ALONG COAST.  SFC OBS
CONCUR.  CURRENT WATER VAPOR LOOP SHOWS DRY SLOT MOVING NE THRU SRN
APPALACHIANS AND EXTRAPS ACROSS NEW ENGLAND 13-15Z.  OTHER MOISTURE
HANGS BACK TO THE WEST...AND IS IN POSITION TO SWING THRU WITH CDFNT
THIS AFTN.  SO WILL EXPECT A CLOUDY START TO THE DAY WITH CLRG IN
THE MORNING...THEN MORE CLDS THIS AFTN.  MOISTURE IS LIMITED AND
GENERAL SUBSIDENCE ALONG WITH DOWNSLOPE FLOW IN EAST...BUT GOOD PVA
18-00Z. WL GO WITH CHC AFTN SNSH NW AND FLURRIES ELSEWHERE.

WINDS TODAY...CAA SHOULD PROMOTE MOMENTUM TRANSFER TO SUPPLEMENT
GOOD PRES GRAD.  ETA SHOWS 20-25 KTS AT H1000 THIS AFTN WITH 40-45
KTS AT H850.  H850 WINDS GOOD FOR ESTMATED GUSTS...AND USUALLY 70-
80% OF THIS MIXES DOWN.  WILL FCST 20-30 MPH WITH G45 MPH.  WITH
THIS EXPECTATION...WILL HOLD OFF ON ANY ADVISORY.

OCEAN EFFECT TNGT...CAA BRINGS -16 TO -18C AIR OVER THE 4C WATER.
GOOD TEMP DIFF AND SEVERAL HOURS OF OVER 12 KTS.  HOWEVER INVERSION
HEIGHT FCST AOB 3K FT AND SINKING OVERNIGHT.  VERTICAL SPEED SHEAR
MAY ALSO BE DISRUPTIVE.  NW FETCH FAVORS OUTER CAPE.  WL TOSS PTLY
CLDY AND FLURRIES INTO MAZ22.

TEMPS TONIGHT...WINDS EARLY WILL KEEP TEMPS UP FROM WHERE THEY COULD
BE...BUT AS WINDS DIE OFF OVERNIGHT WITH ADVANCING SFC RDG EXPECT
TEMPS TO TAKE A DROP.  TEMPS UPSTREAM OVERNIGHT WERE IN THE SINGLE
NUMBERS...EVEN BELOW ZERO.  WL GO WITH ZERO TO 10 EXCEPT 10-15
COAST.

SECOND TROF COMES THRU SUNDAY.  TIME SECTIONS SHOW A BUMP OF
MOISTURE AOB H850 SUN AFTN.  WL GO WITH AFTN CLDS AND WITH FLURRIES
IN THE NW.  CLDS MOVE OUT SUN EVENING.

EXTENDED...AVN SHOWS WMFNT MOVING THRU MONDAY SUPPORTED BY WEAK H500
TROF MON EVE.  SHOULD BE MOSTLY CLDS AND MAYBE LITE RAIN OR SNOW
SHOWER.  MORE IMPRESSIVE IS CDFNT WED NIGHT AS IMPRESSIVE NRN STREAM
SHORTWV DIVES INTO THE GRT LKS.  GOOD SW FLOW AHEAD OF THIS CDFNT
SO MILD AND BREEZY WED AFTN...SHOWERS WED NIGHT.

.MARINE...
WITH EXPECTED CAA AND MIXING...EXPECT AFTN WINDS OF 30-40 KTS OVER
THE WATERS.  WL CONT GALES ALL WATERS WITH DIMINISHING WINDS
OVERNIGHT.

.BOX...GLW ALL WATERS THIS AFTN/EVE.

WTB/JF

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Northwest Providence

When: February 17, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 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)

Strong Wind, Bristol

When: February 17, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Bristol forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.706, -71.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Eastern Kent

When: February 17, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 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)

Strong Wind, Newport

When: February 17, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Newport forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.500, -71.281 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Southeast Providence

When: February 17, 10:00 AM EST to 6:00 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)

What these are

Strong Wind: Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Rhode Island in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Rhode Island, February 2001

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: 5231588, 5231589, 5231590, 5231591, 5231592.