(Halifax) The hurricane Lee is expected to hit parts of the Maritime Provinces with strong winds and heavy rain late this week, becoming a post-tropical storm.
The Canadian Hurricane Center says much of the hurricane’s strength will be diminished by cooler sea surface temperatures as it tracks north.
As of early Tuesday afternoon, the Category 3 hurricane was about 900 km south of Bermuda, with winds gusting to 185 km/h.
The storm was expected to move slowly northward on Wednesday, then pick up speed and progress quickly toward the Atlantic provinces.
The Canadian Hurricane Center in Halifax issued a statement Tuesday indicating that the approach of the storm should slow the progression of a front.
This phenomenon could increase the risk of heavy rain in the maritime provinces Thursday and Friday, even before the approach of the hurricane, indicates the center.
“At the moment, western Nova Scotia is most likely to be affected, which is worth noting since this region was not affected by recent storms like Dorian and Fiona », recalls the center. We were referring to the powerful post-tropical storms that made landfall further east in this province in 2019 and 2022.
Although Lee could enter Canadian waters as a hurricane, it is instead expected to transform into a post-tropical storm as it moves north.
Ian Hubbard, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said Tuesday that the storm is expected to make landfall Saturday or Sunday. He points out that it is too early to issue precise forecasts on wind speeds. “The wind will decrease significantly before (the storm) approaches land,” he said. This is a good thing. »
Mr. Hubbard believes the storm is expected to be considerably weaker than Fionawhich swept through Atlantic Canada almost a year ago, causing considerable damage and killing two people. Lee could still dump between 50 and 100 mm of rain in some areas, he said. He also specifies that the heaviest rain generally falls on the left side of the storm’s path.
Furthermore, the strength of the winds Lee will diminish as the storm crosses parts of the Atlantic already agitated by Hurricanes Franklin and Idalia in recent weeks.
“They both left in their wake an area of colder water that didn’t exist before,” Hubbard said from the Hurricane Prediction Center in Halifax. This reduces the fuel supply of these hurricanes, which instead run on hot water. »
Consequently, Lee is not expected to produce “hurricane force” winds, above 119 km/h, once it reaches the Atlantic region. “It will be a much weaker storm (than Fiona) in terms of winds,” predicts Mr. Hubbard.
But that doesn’t mean area residents should ignore it. The storm will expand in width during this transition period, and its heavy rain and strong gusts could still cause damage.
“Don’t let your guard down just because it’s no longer a hurricane,” warns Mr. Hubbard. All of the hurricane’s energy is still present, and as the storm becomes post-tropical, these large wind fields actually become larger than a compact hurricane. In a way, more people could be affected. »
The center’s weather alert confirms this view: “As this will be a fairly large system, rain, winds, waves, etc. will occur. would affect, to varying degrees, most of the maritime provinces and surrounding waters.
However, “ Lee will be greatly weakened before reaching Newfoundland,” it is predicted.
Meanwhile, growing surf and rip currents are expected along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, particularly on Friday.