Winter Weather in Rhode Island, February 25, 2001

Name: Winter Weather in Rhode Island, February 25, 2001
Start: 2001-02-25T06:00
End: 2001-02-25T12:00
Location: Rhode Island

February 25, 2001 · NWS BOX · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

Snow changed to sleet and freezing rain, creating slippery travel at the end of the February school vacation week. There were many minor accidents throughout Rhode Island, especially north of Providence, where there several injuries indirectly attributed to the icy conditions.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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: 7

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.

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 25, 3:00 AM EST, 3 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 25, 3:00 AM EST, 3 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
300 AM EST SUN FEB 25 2001

CURRENTLY: H5 RDG HOLDING OVER THE REGION. H5 LOW NEAR IOWA WITH
GOOD CYCLONIC AND SHEAR VORTICITY HEADING FOR THE GREAT LAKES AND
SAINT LAWRENCE VALLEY. SFC HI PRES 1036MB CENTERED OVER EASTERN NEW
ENGLAND WITH COLD AIR DAMMING ALONG THE EASTERN SEABOARD. AIRMASS
IS VERY COLD AND DRY WITH SFC TEMPS GENERALLY IN THE TEENS AND 20S.
SFC DEWPOINTS ARE QUITE LOW TOO. IR STLT PICS INDICATING
ENHANCEMENT FROM THE MOHAWK VLY TO THE BERKSHIRES MUCH IN LINE WITH
ANTICIPATED IB (WEAK H5 S/V AND H7 WIND MAX) THIS MORNING.

TODAY: COMPLICATED WX SCENARIO UNFOLDING ACRS SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND.
TIMING OF PCPN IS A CONCERN HOWEVER ETA SOLN APPEARS TO BE ON TRACK
ATTM BRINGING PCPN TO THE FA QUICKER THAN THE NGM/AVN. UPSTREAM OBS
CONFIRM THIS. KAQW VSBY DOWN TO 1 1/4SM -SN BR AT 08Z. THE SYNOPTIC
SCALE CHARTS INDICATE BEST H5 DIFFERENTIAL PVA...CYCLONIC AND SHEAR
VORTICITY REMAIN WELL NW OF THE REGION. H3 130KT JET MAX ALSO HEADS
THROUGH THE SAINT LAWRENCE VALLEY AND NORTHERN NYS. SOUTHERN NEW
ENGLAND WILL BE IN THE UNFAVORABLE RFQ. THERMODYNAMICALLY THERE IS
STRONGER SUPPORT FOR PRECIPITATION. NOSE OF THE 60KT H7 JET MAX WILL
CROSS WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE FA BY 12Z. LATEST UPSTREAM 00Z SOUNDING
PROFILES AND SFC OBS INDICATE THE ATMOSPHERE WILL BE COLD ENOUGH FOR
MAINLY SNOW TO START. HOWEVER BEST ISENTROPIC LIFT TAKES PLACE THIS
AFTERNOON AS SIGNIFICANT WAA DEVELOPS. THIS WILL EVENTUALLY CAUSE
MUCH OF THE PRECIPITATION TO CHANGE OVER TO FREEZING RAIN AND
PLAIN RAIN. LATEST QPF FCST INDICATES GENERALLY 0.50 TO 0.75 INCH OF
PRECIPITATION TO FALL. THE HIGHER QPF VALUES WILL OCCUR OVER THE
INTERIOR WHERE THE LONGEST DURATION OF THERMODYNAMIC LIFT WILL OCCUR.
SINCE A PORTION OF THIS QPF IS EXPECTED TO FALL AS SNOW AND SLEET
OVER THE INTERIOR...BELIEVE THAT 0.50 INCH WARNING CRITERIA FOR GLAZE
WILL NOT BE MET. WL THERFORE KEEP THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR
MIXED PRECIPITATION ESPECIALLY OVER THE INTERIOR. QUESTION ALONG THE
SOUTH COAST WL BE WHETHER OR NOT TO KEEP THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY.
SFC TEMPS NOW RISING INTO THE LOWER 30S ON BLOCK ISLAND. BELIEVE MUCH
OF THE PRECIPITATION THAT FALLS FROM SOUTHERN RHODE ISLAND TO CAPE
COD AND THE ISLANDS THIS MORNING WILL LIKELY BE SOME LIGHT SNOW OR
SLEET CHANGING TO PLAIN RAIN. WL MONITOR OBS AND MAKE LAST MINUTE
DECISION THERE. ANOTHER QUESTION CONCERNS THE PROSPECT FOR INCREASING
WIND VELOCITIES LATER TODAY. LATEST MESOETA 1000MB AGEOSTROPHIC WIND
COMPONENT SHOWS NORTHEAST WINDS THIS MORNING TURNING MORE ESE THIS
AFTERNOON. THIS MEANS COLD AIR DAMMING WILL INITIALLY PUT A CAP ON
THE STRONGER WINDS FROM MIXING DOWN ALOFT ESPECIALLY ALONG THE
IMMEDIATE COAST. HOWEVER THE PRES GRADIENT DOES TIGHTEN LATER TODAY
WITH THE ADVANCE OF THE COLD FRONT. THEREFORE WL KEEP GALES FOR THE
OUTER WATERS BUT PLAY THE WIND SPEEDS A BIT CONSERVATIVELY ALONG THE
IMMEDIATE COAST.

TONIGHT:  BEST PVA IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR ALONG WITH ISENTROPIC
LIFT THE FIRST HALF OF THE EVENING. THE COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH
SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND. ONE QUESTION IS THE CHANCE FOR THUNDER. THIS
WILL DEPEND ON THE EXACT LOCATION AND FORMATION OF THE TRIPLE POINT.
ATTM BELIEVE THAT SHOWALTER INDICES AND CAPE VALUES WILL BE TOO LOW
TO WARRANT WIDESPREAD THUNDER. WL LEAVE MENTION OF IT EARLY THIS
EVENING BETWEEN 00Z AND 06Z NEAR THE SOUTH COAST AND REMOVE
ELSEWHERE. THEREAFTER DVM AND SIGNIFICANT DRYING IS EXPECTED
AND THE MAIN THREAT FOR PRECIPITATION WILL TAPER OFF BY MIDNIGHT.

MONDAY:  GRADUAL IMPROVEMENT IN OUR WX WILL BE IN STORE. WEAK H5
AND H7 TROFS ARE EXPECTED TO PUSH THROUGH IN THE MORNING. EXPECT
THE CHANCE FOR MORNING SHSN AND SHRA. OTHERWISE PARTIAL SUNSHINE
WILL BE WITH US IN THE AFTERNOON. IT WILL TURN BLUSTERY AND
COLDER.

.BOS...WXA ALL OF OUR FCST AREA EXCEPT NONE MVY AND ACK.
       GLW ALL OUTER WATERS WITH SCA BOS HARB AND NARR BAY.

STRAUSS

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Northwest Providence

When: February 25, 6:00 AM EST to 12:00 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)

Winter Weather, Bristol

When: February 25, 6:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where: Bristol forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.706, -71.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Eastern Kent

When: February 25, 6:00 AM EST to 12:00 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)

Winter Weather, Newport

When: February 25, 6:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where: Newport forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.500, -71.281 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Southeast Providence

When: February 25, 6:00 AM EST to 12:00 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)

Winter Weather, Washington

When: February 25, 6:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.397, -71.620 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Western Kent

When: February 25, 6:00 AM EST to 12:00 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

Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, 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: 5231722, 5231723, 5231724, 5231725, 5231726, 5231727, 5231728.