Rhode Island, 2001

Damaging Wind and Lightning Strikes in Rhode Island, June 11, 2001

June 11, 2001 · NWS BOX · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

A severe thunderstorm downed several large trees in South Kingstown. Lightning from thunderstorms that evening struck the radio tower of the East Providence Police Department, as well as the Charlestown Rescue Squad.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$20,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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 severe thunderstorm downed several large trees in South Kingstown. Lightning from thunderstorms that evening struck the radio tower of the East Providence Police Department, as well as the Charlestown Rescue Squad.

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 Jun 11, 8:50 PM EST, 1 hour 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 11, 8:50 PM EST, 1 hour 10 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
950 PM EDT MON JUN 11 2001

DISC:  THETA-E RDG XTNDS ACRS SRN ZNS AND HAS HELPED CNVTCN PERSIST
OVR CT AND RI THIS EVE...THO TREND HAS BEEN FOR WKNG DURG PAST COUPLE
OF HRS.  STILL MONITORING STORMS IN CT CLOSELY...SPCLY HARTFORD CTY
WHERE A FEW STORMS HAVE PULSED UP AND DOWN DURG PAST HR.  RAFL RATES
HAVE BEEN PRETTY IMPRSV WITH 88D ESTIMATES OF ARND 1.5/HR ACRS SRN
HARTFORD AND TOLLAND CTYS.

BACK EDGE OF SHWRS/TSTMS IS ENTERING WRN ZNS ATTM AND SHUD REACH E
COAST ARND MIDNGT OR SO.  WL UPDATE ZNS BY 11 PM TO REMOVE WW 398 AS
WELL AS FINE-TUNE ENDING TIME OF PCPN...DONT WANT TO DROP WATCH
PREMATURELY WITH TSTMS STILL HANGING ON ACRS CT VLY.  XPCT AREAS OF
DENSE FG TO DVLP OVRNGT WITH LOTS OF LL MOISTR AND LGT WNDS.

REST OF FCST LOOKS GOOD.  XPCT GRDL INCRS IN TMPS AND HUMIDITY NXT
COUPLE OF DAYS.

NO CHGS IN MARINE FCST.

SO FAR ONLY SVR REPORT WAS FM HARTFORD CTY WHERE NICKEL SIZE HAIL WAS
REPORTED IN WEST SIMSBURY...VIL ON THAT STORM WAS 40 WITH ECHO TOP
NEAR 42KFT.  LOTS OF LTG STRIKES AS WELL AND WE HAVE HEARD OF SVRL
STRUCTURE FIRES/PWR OUTAGES IN CT AND ALSO IN SRN WORCESTER CTY.

.BOX...NONE.

JWD

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 11, 7:00 PM EST, 3 hours before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MASSACHUSETTS
800 PM EDT MON JUN 11 2001

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0756 PM    SIMSBURY                  CT   .75 INCH HAIL
06/11/01   HARTFORD                       DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY
                                          AMATEUR RADIO ON THE CANTON
                               !           SIMSBURY LINE.

DRV
Local storm report, Jun 11, 7:07 PM EST, 2 hours 53 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MASSACHUSETTS
807 PM EDT MON JUN 11 2001

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0756 PM    SIMSBURY                  CT   .75 INCH HAIL
06/11/01   HARTFORD                       DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY
                                          AMATEUR RADIO ON THE CANTON
                                          SIMSBURY LINE.

0759 PM    WEST SIMSBURY             CT   .88 INCH HAIL
06/11/01   HARTFORD                       NICKEL SIZE HAIL REPORTED
                                          BY AMATEUR RADIO IN WEST
                                          SIMSBURY.

DRV

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 lightning, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Providence

When
June 11, 10:00 PM EST
Where
Providence County, Providence
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
41.871, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning, Washington

When
June 11, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Washington County, Charlestown
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates
41.397, -71.620 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Washington

When
June 11, 11:05 PM EST
Where
Washington County, Narragansett Pier
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
41.417, -71.467

What these are

Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Rhode Island in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Rhode Island, June 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: 5250298, 5250297, 5250296.