2021 Was Warmer, Drier Than Average In Rhode Island

PROVIDENCE, RI — 2021 is officially in the books, and for the second year in a row, Rhode Island saw its warmest year on record, according to the National Weather Service's Annual Climate Summary.

Overall, it was a warmer and drier year than usual in the Ocean State, with the annual climate summary showing below-average precipitation and higher than average temperatures.

The state set a new average temperature record at 54.1 degrees, nearly two degrees higher than the average of 52.2 degrees. The broke the previous warmest temperature on record, set last year.

The coldest record in Rhode Island was 1947, when the state average 47.1 degrees for the year.

Precipitation was also lower than usual, with slightly less rain and considerably less snow than average. Over the last year, the Providence area saw 46.65 inches of rain, about an inch less than the average 47.54 inches. There was more than a foot less snow than would be expected, with just 23.8 inches for the whole year. On average, the Providence area sees 36.6 inches of snowfall in a year.

Both are a far cry from the snowiest and least-snowfall records. In 1973, just 6.2 inches of snow fell in Providence throughout the entire year. A few decades earlier in 1945, an eye-watering 82.3 inches of snow fell throughout the year, or close to seven feet.