Newport County is digging out from the Blizzard of 2026, which dumped up to 34 inches of snow across the county and set a new Rhode Island record of 37.9 inches at T.F. Green Airport — surpassing the Blizzard of ’78.
Schools across Newport County will be closed or virtual again on Wednesday as communities continue recovery efforts. Newport, Jamestown, Middletown, and Tiverton public schools are all closed, while Portsmouth and Little Compton will hold virtual learning days.
Governor Dan McKee lifted the statewide travel ban at noon Tuesday, but urged Rhode Islanders to stay home if possible and use extreme caution on local roads. “It’s going to take time to fully recover from this historic blizzard, but we will get through it, and we will not stop until the job is done,” McKee said. The state is requesting mutual aid from other states, including heavy equipment to speed up snow removal, and the Rhode Island National Guard continues to be dispatched to challenging areas.
All four RITBA bridges — closed since 7 p.m. Sunday — reopened at noon Tuesday. RIPTA suspended all service Tuesday, including RIde paratransit, and has not yet announced plans for Wednesday.
The governor’s office reminded residents that portable generators should never be used indoors and must only be used outdoors in well-ventilated areas at least 20 feet from all doors, windows, and vent openings.
Power outages
Rhode Island Energy said Tuesday that it has restored power to more than 30,000 of the over 50,000 customers impacted by the storm, deploying over 400 crews and more than 1,400 personnel statewide, including reinforcements from New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The company warned that this will be a multi-day restoration for some customers, with outages that could last beyond 72 hours in severely impacted areas.
As of 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, just 237 customers remained without power in Newport County — down from a peak of nearly 8,000 Monday afternoon. Town-by-town:
- Tiverton — 154 of 8,281 customers without power
- Little Compton — 70 of 2,631
- Portsmouth — 11 of 10,858
- Jamestown — 1 of 3,764
- Newport — 1 of 14,886
- Middletown — 0 of 8,442
Statewide, 7,409 customers remained without power — down from 18,311 this morning. Washington County still had the most at 4,940.
What’s closed Wednesday in Newport County
Schools:
- Newport Public Schools — Closed
- Middletown Public Schools — Closed
- Jamestown Public Schools — Closed; no out-of-town buses
- Tiverton Public Schools — Closed (no virtual instruction)
- Portsmouth Public Schools — Virtual Learning Day
- Little Compton Public Schools — Virtual Learning Day; School Committee meeting 5 p.m.
- The Met – East Bay (Newport) — Virtual Learning Day
- All Saints Academy (Middletown) — Closed
- Bradley School (Portsmouth) — Distance Learning Day
- Pennfield School (Portsmouth) — Closed
- St. Philomena School (Portsmouth) — Closed
- Sakonnet Early Learning Center (Tiverton) — Closed
- CCRI (all campuses) — Classes canceled
- RISD — Closed
Government and military:
- Naval Station Newport — Mission essential personnel only; MWR, CYP, NEX, and DECA closed
- RI Judiciary — Closed statewide
Community organizations:
- James L. Maher Center (Middletown) — Closed; residential report all shifts
- Newport Family and Child Opportunity Zone — Closed; no AM/PM Champion Childcare
- Save the Bay Hamilton Family Aquarium (Newport) — Closed
Shelters: The emergency shelter at Gaudet Middle School in Middletown remains open. Additional regional shelters are open at Jenks Middle School in Pawtucket and Broad Rock Middle School in Wakefield. Emergency pop-up shelters in Providence and West Warwick are also activated. For a full list, visit housing.ri.gov. If you need shelter but cannot travel, contact your local public safety department.
What was closed Tuesday in Newport County
Schools across Newport County were closed or virtual on Tuesday, along with government offices, libraries, and businesses. Among the closings:
- Middletown, Jamestown, and Tiverton public schools — Closed
- Portsmouth and Little Compton public schools — Virtual learning days
- Newport City Hall and offices — Closed; Feb. 25 City Council meeting postponed
- Middletown Town Hall, library, and senior center — Closed
- Newport Public Library — Closed
- All Newport County town libraries — Closed
- Salve Regina University — Closed
- RI Judiciary — Closed statewide
- Newport Mental Health — Closed
- BankNewport — Closed
- RIPTA — All service suspended
Parking bans
Parking bans remain in effect in all Newport County communities:
- Newport — Until further notice
- Jamestown — Until further notice
- Middletown — Until further notice
- Portsmouth — Until further notice
- Tiverton — Until further notice
The forecast
Rain and snow are in the forecast for Wednesday, which will help with melting but could complicate cleanup.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 19. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest after midnight. Gusts up to 22 mph.
Wednesday: Rain and snow before 1 p.m., then a slight chance of rain between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. High near 39. Southwest wind 13 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Less than a half inch of new snow possible.
Wednesday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 31. Southwest wind around 10 mph.
Thursday: A slight chance of snow after 2 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 38.
Friday: A slight chance of snow before noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 37.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 42.