Scientists Confirm Tsunami Hit Narragansett Bay

A small tsunami hit the Narragansett Bay earlier this month, causing sea levels in the bay to rise and fall several feet within 20 minutes.

A straight line thunderstorm - called a derecho - apparently triggered a tidal wave on June 13, a University of Rhode Island scientist told The Providence Journal . A derecho is a straight line of thunderstorms that sweeps across the country in an eastward direction and can cause hurricane-force winds.

Instrument readings confirm that on June 13 at 4 p.m. a tidal wave hit Rhode Island. The abnormal tidal flow stretched from South Carolina to Maine, affecting sea levels and causing damage - albeit minor - across the eastern seaboard. 

In Wickford Harbor, the swift ebb and flow of the tides pushed boats around with enough pressure to pull a cleat from a dock and rip out three stanchions, a Wickford Yacht Club employee told the Providence Journal.

Abnormal tidal rises lasted for about 4 hours on June 14, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tide gauge in Newport. The instrument recorded a normal rise and fall from 12:01 a.m. June 13 to midnight June 15 except from about 4 - 8 p.m. where graph jigs, seismometer-style, recorded jagged vertical strokes that gradually blend back into the normal sine-wave pattern.

Although the tsunami's reach stretched across the East Coast, area scientists said the hardest place hit by comparison was Rhode Island. 

Did you see the effects of the June 13 tsunami in Narragansett Bay? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.