Rhode Island Climate
Top 5 Cities: Providence, Warwick, Cranston, Pawtucket, and East Providence
This month in numbers
Rhode Island experienced a significantly warmer March 2026, with an average temperature of 4.33°C, ranking as the 15th warmest March in 77 years of record-keeping. This was a notable 1.7°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. Maximum temperatures also reflected this trend, coming in at 9.67°C, which was 2.1°C above average and the 13th highest on record for March. Precipitation for the month was 124.21 mm, 22.4 mm above the baseline, ranking 26th wettest. Globally, April 2026 saw the second warmest land temperature on record, at 14.96°C, an anomaly of +1.1°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline.
What changed
Looking at the broader seasonal picture, the January–March 2026 average temperature for Rhode Island was -0.82°C, a modest 0.1°C above the 1961–1990 baseline, ranking 50th warmest in 77 years. This places Rhode Island as the 233rd coolest region globally for the 3-month anomaly, indicating a relatively cooler start to the year compared to many other areas. In contrast, the global land temperature for February–April 2026 was the 2nd warmest on record, at 14.13°C, an anomaly of +1.2°C. Rhode Island's recent winter (December 2025–February 2026) was the coldest since 2014–2015 for the Northeast region, and the eighth-driest, receiving only 71% of normal precipitation.
What’s driving change?
The warming trend observed in March, following a colder winter, can be influenced by . Rhode Island has also experienced an unusual concentration of extreme weather events recently, with two drought events and one flood event logged in the past 12 months, each representing 100% of their respective annual totals. This is an unusual concentration for the region. A powerful low-pressure system in late February 2026 brought a historic blizzard to the state, with some areas receiving over 30 inches of snow, and the T.F. Green International Airport recording 37.9 inches, nearly breaking the all-time state record. This blizzard was accompanied by high winds, causing widespread power outages. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with an anomaly of +0.11°C. ENSO tracker
Looking ahead
The NOAA CPC probability forecast indicates that an El Niño phase is most likely to develop by May–July 2026, with probabilities increasing to 79% for June–August and 87% for July–September.
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.