The Category 1 hurricane that hit Florida early Thursday morning will look like a typical fall storm when the weather system — named Nicole — will head for the east coast this weekend, Environment Canada predicts.
The weather agency said in its tropical storm update on Thursday afternoon that Nicole is expected to cross New England early Saturday and hit the Maritimes later in the evening. The strongest winds are expected in the Acadian Peninsula of New Brunswick and in Quebec near the Gulf of St. Lawrence. There is also a risk of minor flooding in northeastern New Brunswick.
Since Nicole is closely followed by a winter storm system, Newfoundland and Labrador and the North Shore region of Quebec could see snow or freezing rain on Sunday.
“This other weather system is crossing the Great Lakes, and this second system is going to pick up whatever remains of Nicole as it moves over the mid-Atlantic provinces, and both [tempêtes] will combine to give rain and windy conditions, ”explained Mr. Robichaud on Wednesday.
In Quebec, only the Outaouais, Pontiac, Témiscamingue, Baie-James, Hautes-Laurentides and Basse-Côte-Nord regions should be spared, according to Environment Canada.
All the others, from Montreal to Bas-Saint-Laurent, will experience rainy and windy weather conditions Friday evening and Saturday. The amounts of rain will be significant for southern, central and eastern Quebec, according to the federal agency, which adds that very strong winds will mainly affect the central and eastern sectors.
Similar conditions will prevail in the Laurentians, Mauricie, Estrie and Beauce, in the Quebec region and in Charlevoix.
On the North Shore, the major depression will bring a mix of precipitation for the end of the week. Further to the northeast, in Sept-Îles and Havre-Saint-Pierre, the storm is expected to manifest in the form of significant amounts of snow, strong winds and blowing snow, and possibly freezing rain.
In Gaspé and Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, rain, ice, sleet and very strong winds are expected on Saturday and the combination of these winds and medium amplitude tides could cause waves to break along the coast, Saturday afternoon.
In Abitibi, a freezing rain warning is in effect for most sectors, including those of La Sarre, Lebel-sur-Quévillon, but a little further north, in Matagami, snowfall will leave an accumulation 15 to 20 centimeters from Thursday afternoon until Friday.
Impacts in the Atlantic Provinces
In the Maritimes, the remains of Nicole are expected to bring heavy rain beginning early Saturday morning; up to 50 millimeters of rain could fall until the evening and strong northwesterly winds gusting up to 80 km/h will accompany this rain. The federal agency also predicts high water levels in Chaleur Bay on Saturday.
Newfoundland and Labrador could receive freezing rain or snow from Saturday evening to Sunday morning.
Newfoundland and Labrador said in a statement Thursday that residents should prepare for large waves and storm surges as well as snow and freezing rain. The province is urging people to protect vulnerable shoreline residences from “the potential for infrastructure damage.”
A provincial website encourages people living on the coast to be prepared by having sandbags on hand or installing a sump pump, and having a bag of essentials ready in case evacuations are needed.
Environment Canada officials warn of potential power outages in areas of the region hardest hit in late September by the post-tropical storm Fiona.
Trees that survived hurricane-force gusts of Fiona may have been weakened, Environment Canada meteorologist Bob Robichaud warned in an interview Thursday. And even if the storm Nicole will be much softer than Fiona“there is always an unknown as to what has been weakened as a result of Fiona he said, adding that damaged trees could cause outages.
Mr. Robichaud says there does not appear to be any risk of flooding. He said, however, that the winds could reach a peak of 70 km / h in some parts of the region.
Prince Edward Island on the alert
The Prince Edward Island government released a statement Thursday encouraging residents to prepare for gusts by clearing debris left in the wake of Fiona.
Fiona came with storm surges and winds in excess of 175 kilometers per hour in September, and destroyed about 100 homes in Newfoundland. The storm caused widespread power outages across Atlantic Canada that lasted up to 19 days in parts of Prince Edward Island.
The province says due to weakened trees near power lines, residents should prepare for power outages when Storm Nicole hits the area on Saturday.
The tropical storm Nicole reached hurricane status late Wednesday night into Thursday as it approached Florida and brought strong waves and winds that continued Thursday.
The weather system has been downgraded to tropical storm status and is expected to track north and inland and reach Georgia and the Carolinas on Friday before merging with a cold front.