Eastern Quebec will not be spared by Hurricane Fiona over the next 24 hours, particularly in the Magdalen Islands where “execrable and dangerous conditions” are expected.
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This was explained by two meteorologists from Environment Canada during a press briefing held Friday noon.
The post-tropical storm is expected to reach the coasts of the Maritime provinces, including Nova Scotia, during Friday evening and take nearly 12 hours to reach the other side of the province.
On the Quebec side, the Magdalen Islands should expect the most significant repercussions from Friday night.
“The worst for the Îles-de-la-Madeleine is between [la nuit de vendredi] and late Saturday evening, when we expect winds between 100 and 160 km / h, ”explained meteorologist Jean-Philippe Bégin. “Conditions will worsen late Friday evening, becoming dire and even dangerous overnight.”
Madelinots should expect road washouts near the coast, but also be prepared for widespread power outages and problems that could last for several days.
“Hence the need for the 72-hour emergency kit,” said Mr. Bégin.
The southeast of Gaspésie will also be affected by winds of 60 to 90 km/h with a peak wind of 100 km/h, which could cause outages.
“With all the leaves in the trees, we expect it to have a veil effect, that the wind has a lot of influence in the trees and creates uprooted trees or broken branches,” said Ms. Begin.
If the hurricane is heading mainly in the direction of the Lower North Shore, the winds are felt over a greater perimeter.
“As a storm becomes post-tropical, the wind radius generally increases and in the northwest portion of the system, the winds will be felt very far from the center,” he summarized.
Stronger than Dorian
Between breakdowns, road closures and major damage, the Madelinots remember the storm Dorian, which hit in September 2019.
In the eyes of Bob Robichaud, another meteorologist at Environment Canada, Hurricane Fiona “is going to be even stronger than Dorian, but about the same size in terms of size.”
“It’s going to be a very intense storm,” he said.
Eastern Quebec under water
- Îles-de-la-Madeleine: 75 to 125 mm of rain
- Eastern tip of Gaspésie: nearly 50 mm of rain
- Rest of Gaspésie: 30 to 50 mm of rain
- Lower North Shore: 50 mm of rain could be exceeded in places