Powerful Storm Leaves Damage in its Wake

The severe thunderstorms that barreled across Rhode Island on Tuesday left behind flooded streets, damaged limbs, power outages and for a brief moment, fear that a tornado could touch down in Narragansett.

Ultimately, Narragansett did experience a microburst that caused damage in the form of downed tree limbs. A microburst is a powerful localized air current, usually consisting of straight-line winds.

In Narragansett, National Weather Service officials determined that the winds were about 60 mph. A group of cars were flooded out on Boston Neck Road, branches and wires fell on Middlebridge Road, Ocean Road was blocked for a period of time and even one-inch diameter hail fell to the ground.

Elsewhere, the storm brought flooding, especially in the East Bay, which saw flooding in multiple towns, especially Barrington, Bristol and Warren.

In Tiverton, lightning struck a house and knocked down a tree on Main Road, the weather service said.

The impressive storm could be seen as it approached and departed. Boaters and spotters across the state reported seeing a massive cloud shelf.

Daniel Forster shared the above photo of the storm clouds from the vantage point of Newport Yacht Club at about 6 p.m.

“I guess we’re not going racing tonight,” he said.

Photo Courtesy: Daniel Forster