It’s one of the most famous stories in the Bible and now scientists in the US believe they have figured out how it actually happened.

Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado used computer simulations to gauge the impact of a strong wind on the Red Sea.

The scientists think the likely location of the parting of the waters was not the Red Sea but a shallow lagoon in the nearby Nile Delta region.

The team used data from satellite images and maps, as well as archaeological records to recreate the lagoon as it would have been 3,000 years ago.

They concluded that a 12-hour east wind of 101 kph (63mph) would have been strong enough to part the lagoon, which was only 1.8m (6ft) deep at the time, creating a land bridge that would have been wide enough for people to walk across.

The Bible tells of how the Red Sea parted, allowing Moses and the Israelites to flee from Pharaoh’s army.

Carl Drews, of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, said: “The simulations match fairly closely the account in [the Bible].”

The findings are published in the latest edition of the PLoS One journal.