Newport County is waking up Tuesday to a transformed landscape. The Blizzard of 2026 — now the greatest single snowstorm on record in Rhode Island — dumped up to 34 inches of snow across the county, with the highest total reported one mile south-southwest of Newport State Airport at 9 p.m. Monday.
The Blizzard Warning expired at 7 a.m. this morning, but a statewide travel ban remains in effect until further notice. All four RITBA bridges remain closed, RIPTA has suspended all service for Tuesday, and the City of Newport has warned that recovery will take several days or more.
Skies will clear today — mostly sunny, with a high near 30 and west winds 10 to 13 mph with gusts up to 24 mph — but rain and snow are expected Wednesday.
Final snowfall totals across Newport County
The National Weather Service’s final snowfall reports for Newport County, compiled in its 11:18 p.m. Public Information Statement Monday:
- 1 mile SSW of Newport Airport — 34.0 inches (as of 9:00 p.m.)
- 2 miles south of Tiverton — 31.0 inches (as of 8:00 p.m.)
- Portsmouth — 28.2 inches (as of 5:58 p.m.) — Trained Spotter
- Little Compton — 28.0 inches (as of 7:34 p.m.) — Trained Spotter
- 2 miles SSW of Portsmouth — 27.8 inches (as of 7:46 p.m.)
- 1 mile NNW of Jamestown — 21.0 inches (as of noon)
- 1 mile NE of Newport — 20.0 inches (as of noon)
The Newport County Community Radio Lifeline reported 27 inches in Middletown and 24 inches in Jamestown at 3 p.m. Monday — both higher than the noon NWS reports for those areas.
The official state record was set at T.F. Green International Airport with 37.9 inches as of 7:01 p.m. Monday, obliterating the previous record of 28.6 inches from the Blizzard of ’78 on February 6–7, 1978. Other Rhode Island totals included 37 inches in Cranston, 36.2 inches in Warwick, 36.1 inches in Providence, 36 inches in North Kingstown, 35.5 inches in Warren, and 34 inches in South Kingstown.
Highest wind gusts in Newport County
The NWS reported the following peak wind gusts across Newport County during the storm:
- Newport State Airport — 68 mph (8:55 a.m.)
- Sakonnet Vineyards (Tiverton) — 59 mph (7:44 a.m.)
- Fogland (Tiverton) — 58 mph (7:49 a.m.)
- Rose Island — 55 mph (5:57 a.m.)
- Prudence Island — 54 mph (7:54 a.m.)
- Beavertail (Jamestown) — 53 mph (5:08 a.m.)
An offshore buoy 9 miles southeast of Little Compton recorded a 74 mph gust at 9 a.m. — tied for the highest wind report in Rhode Island with Quonset State Airport in North Kingstown.
Newport State Airport officially reached blizzard criteria at 7:50 a.m. Monday — one of 15 airports across Rhode Island and Massachusetts to meet the threshold of visibility at or below a quarter mile with sustained or frequently gusting winds of 35 mph or higher for at least three hours.
Power outages
As of 6:45 a.m. Tuesday, Rhode Island Energy reported 1,773 customers without power in Newport County out of 48,862 served — down significantly from 5,939 Monday evening. Town-by-town:
- Newport — 1,103 of 14,886 customers without power
- Little Compton — 443 of 2,631
- Tiverton — 183 of 8,281
- Portsmouth — 42 of 10,858 (down from 2,414 Monday evening)
- Jamestown — 1 of 3,764
- Middletown — 1 of 8,442
Statewide, 21,156 of 513,983 Rhode Island Energy customers remained without power — about half the 41,276 reported Monday evening. Washington County had the most at 9,517, followed by Kent County at 6,030. To report an outage, visit RIEnergy.com or check the outage map at outagemap.rienergy.com. A regional shelter is open at Broad Rock Middle School in South Kingstown for residents of South Kingstown, Narragansett, and North Kingstown affected by outages. Call the shelter hotline at 401-284-1626 or email storm26@southkingstownri.gov.
Bridges remain closed
All four RITBA bridges — the Newport Pell Bridge, Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge, Mount Hope Bridge, and Sakonnet River Bridge — remain closed in accordance with the statewide travel ban, RITBA confirmed at 8:43 p.m. Monday. Emergency vehicles are allowed to cross. The RITBA customer service center will be closed Tuesday. Online services are available at ezpassritba.com.
RIPTA service suspended Tuesday
RIPTA has suspended all service for Tuesday, including RIde paratransit, due to post-blizzard conditions. RIPTA initially suspended service at 9 p.m. Sunday and has not yet resumed. All RIPTA offices, including Kennedy Plaza and the Pawtucket-Central Falls Transit Center, will be closed Tuesday. Service will be reinstated when conditions are suitable for safe operations. Updates at RIPTA.com/alerts.
What’s closed Tuesday in Newport County
Schools:
- Middletown Public Schools — Closed
- Newport Public Schools — Closed
- Jamestown Public Schools — Closed; no out-of-town buses
- Portsmouth Public Schools — Virtual Learning Day
- Tiverton Public Schools — Closed (no virtual instruction)
- Little Compton Public Schools — Virtual Learning Day
- The Met – East Bay (Newport) — Closed
- All Saints Academy (Middletown) — Closed
- Bradley School (Portsmouth) — Distance Learning Day
- Pennfield School (Portsmouth) — Closed
- St. Michael’s Country Day School (Newport) — Closed
- St. Philomena School (Portsmouth) — Closed
- Salve Regina University — Closed
- IYRS School of Technology and Trades (Newport) — Closed
Government and municipal:
- Newport City Hall and offices — Closed; Feb. 25 City Council meeting postponed
- Middletown Town Hall — Closed
- Middletown Public Library — Closed
- Middletown Senior Center — Closed
- Newport Public Library — Closed
- Portsmouth Free Library — Closed
- Jamestown Philomenian Library — Closed
- Tiverton Library — Closed; Union Library also closed
- Tiverton Senior Center — Closed; no bus
- Edward King House Senior Center (Newport) — Closed
- Little Compton Community Center — Closed
- RI Judiciary — Closed statewide
- Newport trash and recycling collection — Suspended
Health services and community organizations:
- Newport Mental Health (Middletown) — Closed
- Child and Family Services of Newport County — Closed
- Newport Family and Child Opportunity Zone — Closed; no AM/PM Champion Childcare
- James L. Maher Center (Middletown) — Closed; residential report all shifts
- Save the Bay Hamilton Family Aquarium (Newport) — Closed through Wednesday
- Boys and Girls Clubs of Newport — Closed
- Head Start EBCAP (Newport) — All sites closed
- Bloom (Middletown) — Closed
- Lilyfrog (Portsmouth) — Closed
- Sandpiper Early Learning Center (Middletown) — Closed
- Sakonnet Early Learning Center (Tiverton) — Closed
- Martin Luther King Community Center (Newport) — Closed; all programs
- Norman Bird Sanctuary (Middletown) — Closed
- Viking Bridge Club (Portsmouth) — Closed
Businesses:
- BankNewport — Closed
- Peoples Credit Union (Middletown) — Closed; member service center open
- Herff Jones (Portsmouth) — Closed
Religious services:
- St. Barnabas (Portsmouth) — Morning Mass canceled
- Holy Ghost Church (Tiverton) — 7 a.m. Mass and adoration canceled; office closed
- St. Mark’s Church (Jamestown) — Closed; no 8 a.m. Mass
Parking bans
All Newport County parking bans remain in effect:
- Newport — Until further notice
- Jamestown — Through 7 p.m. Tuesday
- Middletown — Until further notice
- Portsmouth — Until further notice
- Tiverton — Until further notice
Newport’s parking ban applies to all emergency snow routes and posted streets. Free parking remains available at the Gateway Center, Mary Street, and Touro Street lots. Vehicles on posted streets will be towed.
The forecast
Today (Tuesday): Mostly sunny, with a high near 30. West wind 10 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
Tonight: Increasing clouds, with a low around 19. West wind 6 to 10 mph becoming southwest after midnight.
Wednesday: Rain and snow before 1 p.m., then a chance of rain between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. High near 39. Southwest wind 11 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Wednesday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 31. Southwest wind 8 to 10 mph.
Thursday: A chance of snow, mainly after 2 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 39. West wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
The emergency shelter at Gaudet Middle School in Middletown opened at 4 p.m. Sunday. For assistance, dial 2-1-1. If you have a life-threatening emergency, dial 911.