In November of 2023, climate scientists worried that the global average temperature swung over 2℃ (3.6℉) above pre-industrial levels, a critical turning point. This year has shown that rising temperatures are more than theoretical, and may have caused one of Rhode Island’s rainiest years on record. Providence is being hit by climate change significantly, especially in terms of increasing rainfall and temperatures. This may cause massive damage to our local built environment and resulting displacement. While Providence cannot single-handedly reverse climate change, the city can mitigate its effects through infrastructure and planning for sustainability and resiliency. Here are some numbers that tell what’s happening here:
1.9°C (3.4°F) – increase in Providence’s annual average temperature from 1895 to the present
1.37°C (2.5°F) – increase in global surface temperature from 1895 to the present
4.5 – average number of days above 90°F per year from 1960-64 in RI
14 – average number of days above 90°F per year from 2015-2020 in RI
23.85 – inches of rainfall in the first quarter-year of 2024
24.18 – inches of rainfall in the first quarter-year of 2010 (wettest first quarter in RI history)
9 – inches that the sea-level has risen near Newport
5-8 – inches sea-level rise typical across the globe
90/100 – Precipitation hazard rating in Providence compared to other US locales (higher is worse)
55/100 – Heat hazard rating
28/100 – drought hazard rating
15% – percentage of Providence buildings at risk for flooding
$903,559,000 – approximate cost to Providence’s at-risk housing stock assuming 1’ of interior flooding
400+ – number of houses the federal government, Northern RI Conservation District, and municipalities are planning to condemn due to flooding in the Providence area, including 13 which the State of RI condemned in East Providence this year.
Sources:
- https://savebay.org/issues_old/climate-change/
- https://www.geo.umass.edu/climate/stateClimateReports/RI_ClimateReport_CSRC.pdf
- https://statesummaries.ncics.org/chapter/ri/#:~:text=Annual%20precipitation%20in%20Rhode%20Island,during%20the%202005%E2%80%932014%20interval.
- https://ocean.si.edu/through-time/ancient-seas/sea-level-rise
- https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-temperature
- https://climatecheck.com/rhodeisland/providence
- https://health.ri.gov/data/climatechange/
- https://weatherspark.com/y/26167/Average-Weather-in-Providence-Rhode-Island-United-States-Year-Round
- https://www.floodsmart.gov/cost-flooding
- https://d337wih8hx5yft.cloudfront.net/documents/Housing-Fact-Books/2023HFB.pdf
Dexter Vincent recently graduated from Classical High School, was Co-Director of the Providence Student Union Leadership Team, and is an Elmwood neighbor. He is passionate about local politics, climate resilient urban planning, and independent journalism. In his free time, he reads books about cities and art, listens to Rachmaninoff and Miles Davis, draws Providence architecture, and plays with his baby brother.
