Residents of Atlantic Canada and eastern Quebec may experience “hurricane force” winds and heavy precipitation later this week as hurricane Fiona is still following a trajectory that would bring it to the east coast late Friday.
Environment Canada says the storm Fiona, merged with a major depression in Canada, could turn into a powerful post-tropical storm on Saturday. Severe gusts can cause structural damage to buildings, coastal storm surges and driving rain.
“The most recent forecast models bring the hurricane Fiona off southern Nova Scotia Friday evening and into Saturday night, passing over eastern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton on Saturday, then reaching the Lower North Shore of Quebec and the south eastern Labrador early Sunday,” Environment Canada said Wednesday afternoon.
“High winds and rain will have significant impacts for eastern Prince Edward Island, eastern Nova Scotia, western Newfoundland, eastern Quebec , and southeast Labrador, predicts Environment Canada. There will also be large waves, especially on the Atlantic coasts of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and on the eastern parts of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Finally, there is a high probability of storm surge for parts of Nova Scotia, the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Newfoundland. »
On Wednesday afternoon, the forecast trajectory of Fiona carried it across eastern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton on Saturday afternoon, with sustained winds of 135 km/h — as strong as a Category 1 hurricane.
The heaviest precipitation is expected north and west of the Fiona. Eastern Nova Scotia, southwestern Newfoundland and the Gulf of St. Lawrence can expect 100 to 200 mm of rain by Saturday. “This data could change,” however, said Ian Hubbard, meteorologist at the Canadian Hurricane Center in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Hubbard adds, however, that the path of the center of the storm is not that important, given the magnitude of this storm.
In its Tropical Cyclone Information Bulletin, released early Wednesday morning, Environment Canada expected “a deep hybrid low,” which will have “both the characteristics of tropical systems and those of intense winter storms” — but with very heavy rain and strong winds.
“This is a very large storm and has the potential to have severe impacts in terms of wind, rain and storm surge,” Hubbard said.
“A lot of energy and wind in there”
Fionathe first major hurricane of the season, could cause prolonged power outages and structural damage, especially to buildings under construction, warns Environment Canada.
Meanwhile, heavy rain is forecast for Thursday evening and flooding is likely in some areas as a low pressure system moves over the region and is likely to merge with the hurricane.
As it approaches Nova Scotia, the swirling storm is expected to transition from a hurricane to a post-tropical storm, but that doesn’t mean Fiona will lose a lot of its power. “ Fiona could still sustain hurricane-force winds, there’s still a lot of energy and wind in there,” Hubbard pointed out.
As it moves north, the storm is expected to start drawing energy from cooler Canadian air, rather than warm tropical air from the south, meteorologists said. And by virtue of this mechanics, Fiona will grow in size and the storm will take on the characteristics of a northeastern winter storm — minus the snow.
In the meantime, residents of Atlantic Canada and eastern Quebec are encouraged to prepare emergency kits containing enough food and water to last up to 72 hours. They are also asked to charge their cell phones, refuel, secure outdoor furniture, prune vulnerable trees and avoid travel.
On September 7 and 8, 2019, post-tropical storm Dorian swept through the Maritimes: its hurricane-force winds caused power outages in all three provinces, leaving more than 500,000 homes and businesses without power for a week. The violent storm caused damage estimated at $140 million — two-thirds in Nova Scotia.
Fiona was classified as a category 3 hurricane on Tuesday, then category 4 on Wednesday, generating sustained winds of more than 209 km / h, after hitting the Turks and Caicos Islands, north of Haiti.
In Puerto Rico, the winds and rains of Fiona left most people without power and half the population without running water amid what officials called “historic floods”.
The storm reportedly claimed four lives in the Caribbean. It was expected that Fiona passes Bermuda later this week, before picking up speed en route to Atlantic Canada.