High Surf Crashes into Rhode Island

NEWPORT, RI—Days before a watershed national conference addressing the fate of historic coastal communities in the face of sea level rise is set to convene in Newport, Rhode Islanders watched powerful waves pummel the the coast on Friday.

City officials in Newport indicated that the morning high tide did not cause widespread or significant damage, but there have been reports of coastal flooding from tidal influence.

Public Services Director William Riccio said that along Ocean Drive, "the waves were rolling in pretty good," but over in the harbor, the water "is high" and while he didn't want to say it was calm, there was nothing serious to report.

In Middletown, Linda Finn posted on Twitter a photo of the waves nearly touching Flo's Clam Shack.

"Sea level change already affecting Middletown," she said. "Parking lot filled with sand and debris. Water almost reached Flo's!"

The conference, "Keeping History Above Water," will run from April 10 to 13. Academics, preservationists, engineers, city planners, lawmakers, insurance company representatives and the owners of historic properties will convene to engage in "one of the first national conversations to focus on the increasing and varied risks posed by sea level rise to historic coastal communities and their built environments."

Julia Forge, Newport's director of utilities, said in an interview that the tide on Thursday night and Friday did come up through catch basins and flooded the streets, but the tide "didn't appear to be as high as originally projected."

"We've seen worse. It did flood a little, but we've actually seen it worse," she said.

Second Street ended up with about 8-inches of water, Forge said. Marchand Street had water curb-to-curb and the water had extended to Wellington Avenue during the worst of it.

The tide ended up peaking at about 5.9 feet, much lower than the anticipated 7 feet that was projected, Forge said.

1.14 inches of rainfall was measured at the city's wastewater treatment plant.

Have you seen coastal flooding or damage associated with the high tide? Send a note to Mark Schieldrop at mark.schieldrop@patch.com.

High waves in Narragansett @ 7:50 am today.

Posted by Rosemarie Rossi on Friday, April 8, 2016

Photo courtesy: Linda Finn