Rhode Island Climate
Top 5 Cities: Providence, Warwick, Cranston, Pawtucket, and East Providence
This month in numbers
Rhode Island experienced its 9th warmest April on record in 2026, with an average temperature of 9.78°C, an anomaly of +1.9°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. Maximum temperatures also ranked as the 9th highest on record for April, at 15.67°C, an anomaly of +2.2°C. Precipitation for April was significantly below average, ranking as the 68th driest of 77 years on record, with only 54.1 mm, a deficit of 50.4 mm. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C.
What changed
Over the three-month period from February to April 2026, Rhode Island saw an average temperature of 3.54°C, an anomaly of +0.8°C, ranking as the 36th warmest on record. Precipitation for this same period was notably low, ranking as the 64th driest on record with 78.65 mm, a deficit of 20.3 mm. This dry trend has contributed to moderate drought conditions in Bristol, Newport, and Washington counties as of mid-May, with Providence and Kent counties experiencing abnormally dry conditions. This regional dryness contrasts with a global picture of significant warmth, as global land temperatures for the February–April period ranked as the 2nd warmest on record.
What’s driving change?
The warmer and drier conditions in Rhode Island are influenced by several factors. The long-term warming trend for the region, at +1.69°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline, contributes to increased wildfire risk and longer fire seasons. Indeed, Rhode Island has experienced an unusual concentration of wildfire events recently, with three recorded between May 14th and May 21st, representing 100% of the annual total for the past 12 months. There have also been two drought events and one flood event in the past 12 months, each representing 100% of their respective annual totals, indicating an unusual concentration of these events as well. You can track these events and more at Extreme Weather tracker. The current ENSO state is Neutral, but the forecast indicates a strong likelihood of El Niño developing from May-July onwards, with probabilities reaching 98% by August-October. Historically, El Niño phases typically bring warmer-than-average winters to the Northeast USA, though there is no clear precipitation signal.
Looking ahead
The NOAA CPC forecast suggests a high probability of El Niño conditions developing and persisting through the coming months, which typically brings milder-than-average winters to the Northeast.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Rhode Island
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Rhode Island changing?
Rhode Island is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Rhode Island come from?
Climate data for Rhode Island comes from NOAA Climate at a Glance (temperature and precipitation), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Rhode Island climate data cover?
The Rhode Island climate profile covers Providence, Warwick, Cranston, Pawtucket and surrounding areas. Rhode Island climate data from NOAA Climate at a Glance
How often is the Rhode Island climate update refreshed?
The Rhode Island climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.