Tropical Storm — Newport, Rhode Island

2021-08-22 · Newport, Rhode Island

Event narrative

Winds generally gusted to between 50 and 70 mph in Newport County. According to the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency, there were approximately 60 homes damaged in Newport County. In Little Compton at 527 AM EST, a tree was down on West Bay Road. In Middletown from 720-729 AM EST, a tree was down on Orchard Avenue and a large branch was down onto wires on Bliss Mine Road. In Newport at 820 AM EST, the intersection of Marchant Street and Wellington Avenue was flooded. Also in Newport, at 931 AM EST multiple trees were reported down across town and at 945 AM EST, a Weatherflow mesonet recorded a wind gust to 68 mph. At 1043 AM EST, a Weatherflow mesonet station at Rose Island in Newport recorded a wind gust to 58 mph. In Little Compton at 1123 AM EST, a Weatherflow mesonet station at Sakonnet Vineyards measured a wind gust to 58 mph. In Tiverton, there were reports of multiple trees and wires down around the town.

Wider weather episode

Tropical Storm Henri made landfall in southwest Rhode Island around noon on August 22nd, then moved slowly northwestward and westward across northern Connecticut and weakened. Henri brought strong wind gusts and flash flooding. The strongest gusts -- to 70 mph -- occurred along the Rhode Island coast. The worst flash flooding occurred in northeast Connecticut.

As the remnants of Henri moved eastward across southern New England on August 23rd, it spawned three tornadoes and a waterspout in MA and also it caused some renewed flooding.

The highest rainfall totals over the two-day period ranged from 5 to 6 inches in Hartford and Tolland Counties in northern Connecticut and in Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden Counties in western Massachusetts.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 979348. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.