Heavy Snow — Washington, Rhode Island

2023-02-27 to 2023-02-28 · Washington, Rhode Island

Event narrative

Snowfall totals in Washington County generally ranged from 5 to 8 inches. Some specific amounts included: 8.1 inches in South Kingstown; 7.5 inches in both North Kingstown and Richmond; 6.0 inches in both Charlestown and Exeter; and 5.4 inches in Westerly.

Wider weather episode

A potent mid level low/shortwave deamplified as it moved east-southeast from the Ohio Valley late on the 27th and early on the 28th. At the surface, while the parent low lifted across the Great Lakes, a secondary low developed over DelMarVa in response to height falls from approaching trough...then moved east, passing well south of southern New England. The result was a northwest-to-southeast oriented band of heavy snow from western MA to northern and eastern CT to southern RI. Six to nine inches of snow fell in those regions. There was a very sharp cutoff to the northeast, with only one to two inches falling in northeastern MA and Cape Cod.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1081653. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.