Heavy Rain in Rhode Island, September 22 to 23, 2002

Name: Heavy Rain in Rhode Island, September 22 to 23, 2002
Start: 2002-09-22T20:00
End: 2002-09-23T11:00
Location: Rhode Island

September 22 to 23, 2002 · NWS BOX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

The highest storm totals, on the order of 2 to 3 inches, were reported in Newport County and into adjacent portions of southeast Massachusetts. 10 inches in Newport.

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: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

Tropical moisture associated with a slow moving cold front brought heavy rain to parts of Rhode Island.The highest storm totals, on the order of 2 to 3 inches, were reported in Newport County and into adjacent portions of southeast Massachusetts. No flooding was reported as a result of the rainfall, aside from the usual minor flooding in poor drainage areas.Some specific totals include 3.40 inches in Tiverton, 2.13 inches in downtown Providence, and 2.10 inches in Newport.

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 Sep 22, 2:33 PM EST, 5 hours 27 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 22, 2:33 PM EST, 5 hours 27 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
333 PM EDT SUN SEP 22 2002

ST, FOG MOVG INTO SERN MA AND RI AND WL PRBLY WORK ITS WAY NWD
TNGT. OVC CLDS ASSOCD WITH FNT TO W STILL A WAYSS TO W.

THE SFC LOW ALG THE FNT W OVR NY FCST TO LIFT NWD INTO CAN THRU
TNGT.  THIS WL LEAVE A WKNG FNTL TROF TO W AND EVENTUALLY OMEGA ALG
THE FNT SHUD BCM FAIRLY WK.  FOR THIS REASON THE SHWRS THAT MAY MOV
INTO THE WRN PART OF THE FCST AREA ARE BEING PLAYED DOWN WITH ONLY
CHC POPS FOR THAT SECTION FOR TNGT.  THE UPR SSWLY FLO WL ADVECT
TROPICAL MOISTURE ALF ACRS SNE SPCLY THE ERN HLF OF THE FCST AREA
THRU MON.  THE WK AND POORLY DEFINED LOW CRCLN W AND S OF THE
CAROLINAS IS NOT LKLY TO DIRECTLY AFFECT THE WX ACRS SNE.  HWVR AS
MOISTURE ASSOCD WITH THIS IS INTERSECTED BY THE SFC FNT APCHG FM W
MORE SGFNT OMEGA IS GENERATED ACRS RI AND ERN MA.  THIS IS
INDICATED BETTER ON AVN THAN ETA.  ETA TENDS TO STALL THE SFC TROF
AND PCPN ASSOCD WITH THE CDFNT WHERE AS THE AVN IS A LTL MORE
AGRESSIVE IN THE EWD MOVMT.  GOING WITH THE AVN SHIFTS THE HIR POPS
FOR MON TO RI, ERN MA, CAPE AND ISS.

BY TUE WK SFC LOW S OF SNE WL HAV MOVG NE AND EXPC CLRG AS SOMEWHAR
DRIER AIR ALF ENTERS SNE FM THE SW.  WITH SFC HI PASSING ACRS NRN
NEW ENGLAND ON WED EXPC A WK NELY FLO WITH DRIER AIR AND COOLER
TEMPS, SPCLY AT NGT.

THE LOW AVN MODELS INDICATES PASSING JUST TO S ON THU TOO FAR S TO
AFFECT SNE, HWVR, A SLT NWD SHIFT IN THE TRACK ON LATER MODEL RUNS
WUD HAVE A SGFNT IMPACT ON THE FCST.

.BOX...
CT...NONE.
MA...NONE.
NH...NONE.
RI...NONE.
MARINE...NONE.

DMH

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Providence

When: September 22, 8:00 PM EST to September 23, 11:00 AM EST
Where: Providence County, Providence
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.871, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Newport

When: September 22, 8:00 PM EST to September 23, 11:00 AM EST
Where: Newport County, Tiverton
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.500, -71.281 (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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Rhode Island in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Rhode Island, September 2002

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: 5320768, 5320769.