Rhode Island, 2026

Flash Flooding in Rhode Island, June 23, 2026

June 23, 2026 · NWS BOX · 3 events in 1 county or zone

A stationary, training storm sat over southeast MA and RI and dropped 4+ inches of rain causing flash flooding. Several roads were flooded with cars submerged.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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
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 stationary, training storm sat over southeast MA and RI and dropped 4+ inches of rain causing flash flooding. Several roads were flooded with cars submerged.

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 23, 2:16 AM EST, 2 hours 24 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • Showers expected to continue today with some embedded thunder and heavier downpours possible.
  • Drier through midweek. Turning mostly cloudy, humid and unsettled by late this week into the weekend. Though it won't be raining all the time, chances for showers/storms will exist on most days Fri- Sat, but severe weather potential looks very limited.
Area forecast discussion, Jun 23, 2:16 AM EST, 2 hours 24 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA
316 AM EDT Tue Jun 23 2026

.WHAT HAS CHANGED...
No changes to the forecast at this time.

&&

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Showers expected to continue today with some embedded thunder
  and heavier downpours possible.

- Drier through midweek. Turning mostly cloudy, humid and
  unsettled by late this week into the weekend. Though it won't
  be raining all the time, chances for showers/storms will exist
  on most days Fri- Sat, but severe weather potential looks very
  limited.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
KEY MESSAGE 1...Showers expected to continue today with some
embedded thunder and heavier downpours possible.

Showers will continue to impact southern New England today as
another wave tracks over the region. Latest mesoanalysis has an area
of increased moisture transport at 925 mb from the S/SW, so showers
moving into this area over RI and SE MA may intensify and produce
higher rainfall rates, especially as any pockets of MUCAPE are
encountered. Based on the latest guidance, a more south track for
the next wave is favored with heavier, more widespread rain
remaining mostly to the south of southern New England. The exception
would be along the south coast and into the Cape and Islands where
heavier showers remain possible. PWATs over this area heading into
the afternoon hours are also forecast around 2.0-2.10". High-res
guidance also has some MUCAPE over much of SE MA into the Cape and
Islands through the afternoon, which would help produce periods of
heavier downpours and some embedded thunder within any showers that
develop. The RAP also has a burst of some elevated MUCAPE values
over Cape Cod early this morning that could favor thunder there.
With the showers we've seen overnight producing occasional lightning
and heavier downpours in CT and now heading into RI, this is not out
of the question. With regards to totals, thinking has not changed
much as totals in the 1-2" range remain the main expectation with
this system. Flash flooding is not a widespread concern considering
the drought conditions we've been experiencing, but flashier areas
including urban and poor drainage areas may see some flooding under
any heavier rainfall rates. With persistent cloud cover today, highs
will likely not climb higher than the 70s.

Rain should clear out of the region heading into tonight as the wave
moves offshore, though showers may linger early tonight over the
Cape and Islands. Winds shift NW and drier air makes its way into
the region in the wake of the passing cold front, which will
also aid in clearing remaining cloud cover heading into
Wednesday. Lows tonight are expected to be in the upper 50s and
low 60s.

KEY MESSAGE 2...KEY MESSAGE 2...Drier through midweek. Turning mostly
cloudy, humid and unsettled by late this week into the weekend.
Though it won't be raining all the time, chances for showers/storms
will exist on most days Fri-Sat, but severe weather potential
looks very limited.

After the cold front pulls away later tonight, we get into a drier
weather pattern Wed onward thru the daytime hrs Thurs.

Our weather pattern then turns more unsettled for late in the week
into at least the early part of the weekend. Broadly-cyclonic, quasi-
zonal pattern with enhanced westerly 500 mb flow stretches from the
Gt Lakes region to the Northeast states in this period. Salient
large-scale features in this period by early Thurs night include one
mid-level shortwave trough over the Gt Lakes region, another weaker
500 mb disturbance near the central Plains, with an elongated, quasi-
stationary frontal boundary draping itself from the OH/mid-MS Valley
eastward to the mid-Atlantic/southern New England vicinity. Zonal
regimes like this one are typically prone to timing errors when it
comes to precip/thunder chances and are also sensitive to daily
convective details which are unknown at this time horizon.
Adding to that uncertainty is there are differences in the
strength of the initial/lead Gt Lakes shortwave, which influence
whether or not better rain chances move in by Thurs night. GFS
guidance is weaker/broader and thus more progressive with rain
chances into New England by Thursday night, while the
international guidance feature a stronger trough and is slower
to move PoP in until Fri.

I would rate confidence in the timing of rain/thunder chances later
this week into the weekend as lower than average, given the above
sources of uncertainty. Forecast carries a rather non-descript
Chance PoP for most of this timeframe; it won't be
raining/thundering the whole time, but ID'ing those periods is
subject to the timing details become more in-focus. That said, an
early estimate for rain/thunder chances is more centered into Fri
aftn/Fri evening with the lead shortwave, then increasing again into
at least the south coast to areas south of the Mass Pike Sat/Sat
night as the central Plains shortwave moves through or just south of
Southern New England. Although mid-level flow is seasonably strong,
much of this period is mostly cloudy and rather humid, but also one
with limited diurnal heating leading to weak instability. Indeed,
NSSL machine-learning severe weather progs offer tempered severe
weather probabilities on Fri. Wouldn't rule out a strong storm or
two on Fri, but early lean is that the prospects of storms becoming
severe seem limited.

High pressure and dry weather return for the weekend.

&&

.AVIATION /07Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...
Forecaster Confidence Levels...

Low - less than 30 percent.
Moderate - 30 to 60 percent.
High - greater than 60 percent.

06Z Update

Through 12z...Moderate Confidence.

Areas of IFR/LIFR have developed and should continue spreading
eastward heading into the morning hours. The risk for isolated
embedded thunder remains as showers moving across the region
continue to sporadically produce some flashes. Converted PROB30s
to TEMPOs to account for this risk. Visibilities towards the
Cape and Island terminals may periodically dip to 1/2SM or 1/4SM
in showers heading into the early morning. Winds will continue
to be mostly SE.

Tuesday...Moderate Confidence.

IFR/LIFR at least for the morning. Scattered showers through the
day with a few embedded downpours possible. Embedded storms
possible for SE MA terminals through mid-morning. Scattered showers
continue through much of the day. There is another risk for an
isolated storm by the afternoon into early evening; however,
confidence remains lower on this potential. Wind NW 5-10 kts,
shifting NE at BOS in the afternoon. Precipitation ends from
west to east gradually by around 18Z, with improving ceilings
after 20Z. Sub VFR conditions will linger the longest for Cape
and Island terminals.

Tuesday Night...Moderate Confidence

Confidence is lower regarding improvement to VFR from MVFR/IFR
conditions. NW winds should aid in clearing, VFR should be
common across the region by Wednesday morning. Light NW winds
around 5 kt.

KBOS Terminal...Moderate Confidence.

Rain. Moderate to heavy at times. LIFR ceilings are possible.
Potential for embedded thunder remains through 12Z. Scattered
showers continue Tuesday with NW winds shifting NE in the
afternoon at 8-12 kts.

KBDL Terminal...High confidence in TAF trends. Moderate
confidence in timing.

Outlook /Wednesday Night through Saturday/...

Wednesday Night through Thursday: VFR.

Thursday Night: Mainly VFR, with local MVFR possible. Chance
SHRA, slight chance TSRA.

Friday: Mainly VFR, with areas MVFR possible. Breezy. SHRA
likely, slight chance TSRA.

Friday Night: Mainly VFR, with local IFR possible. Chance SHRA.

Saturday: VFR. Chance SHRA, slight chance TSRA.

&&

.MARINE...
Forecaster Confidence Levels...

Low - less than 30 percent.
Moderate - 30 to 60 percent.
High - greater than 60 percent.

Through Wednesday...High confidence.

Rain and a few embedded storms continue before finally moving
off to the east this evening. Moderate to heavy rainfall at
times expected, resulting in poor visibility less than 1 mile at
times. Seas 2-4 ft with SW winds at 10-15 kt shifting NW in the
wake of a passing cold front this evening into tonight. Winds
then shift more SW for Wednesday, remaining around 10 kt.

Outlook /Wednesday Night through Saturday/...

Wednesday Night: Winds less than 25 kt. Areas of seas
approaching 5 ft.

Thursday through Thursday Night: Winds less than 25 kt.

Friday: Winds less than 25 kt. Slight chance of rain showers,
slight chance of thunderstorms.

Friday Night through Saturday: Winds less than 25 kt. Chance of
rain showers, slight chance of thunderstorms.

&&

.BOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CT...None.
MA...None.
RI...None.
MARINE...None.

&&

DISCUSSION...Loconto/Hrencecin
AVIATION...Loconto/Hrencecin
MARINE...Loconto/Hrencecin

The radar

The Boston radar (KBOX), 54 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:40 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Newport

When
June 23, 4:40 AM EST
Where
Newport County, 0.86 mi SW of Newport to 0.94 mi SW of Newport
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Amateur Radio
Coordinates
41.490, -71.310

The rotary at the base of the Pell Bridge in Newport was flooded.

Flash Flood, Newport

When
June 23, 4:42 AM EST
Where
Newport County, 1.24 mi ESE of Newport to 1.32 mi SE of Newport
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
41.490, -71.280

Aquidneck Ave at Wave Ave was flooded with DPW requested to assist.

Flash Flood, Newport

When
June 23, 4:50 AM EST
Where
Newport County, 0.52 mi E of Tiverton to 0.69 mi E of Tiverton
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
41.620, -71.210

The 1800 block of Rt 77 in Tiverton was completely flooded.

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Rhode Island in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Rhode Island, June 2026

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: 1334517, 1334518, 1334519.