(Halifax) Boats were pulled from the water as a precautionary measure Friday in Nova Scotia as forecasters warned Hurricane Lee could soon bring devastating winds, large waves, flooding and power outages .
Jennifer Chandler, commodore of the Chester Yacht Club, said she and her team have been working for several days to prepare for what she expects to be a “significant storm.” The village of Chester is in Lunenburg County, which, along with neighboring Halifax County, was added Friday to the list of places in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick under hurricane watch.
“Over the last five days, most people have taken their boats out, if they could. We are going to secure a lot of the equipment. We have already removed all the furniture from our deck,” related Mme Chandler.
The hurricane Lee is expected to move toward western Nova Scotia and southern New Brunswick on Saturday, bringing heavy rain, strong winds and powerful waves, Environment Canada said in an update Friday morning.
Winds could reach 120 kilometers per hour, toppling trees and destroying power lines, the agency warned. Rainfall of up to 100 millimeters could cause flooding in parts of southwestern Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, including Saint John and Moncton, Environment Canada said. Areas along the central Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia could experience breaking waves ranging from four to six meters in height.
Around noon Friday, Lee appeared to be transitioning from a Category 1 hurricane to a strong post-tropical storm, described Bob Robichaud, warning preparedness meteorologist at Environment Canada. The storm was about 1,000 kilometers southwest of Halifax and slowly weakening, with maximum sustained winds reaching about 130 kilometers per hour.
“It’s a very, very big storm,” he told reporters. We expect this storm, as it approaches and as it gets closer to the coast, to be very close to hurricane strength. »
The center of the powerful storm will likely pass over southwest Nova Scotia Saturday afternoon, bringing the strongest winds and heaviest precipitation of Leecontinued Mr. Robichaud.
The impact of Lee is expected to be felt up to 300 kilometers from the center, and parts of Nova Scotia will begin to experience winds and rain as early as Friday evening.
“The time to prepare is today. Tomorrow will be too late,” said Mr. Robichaud.
The worst conditions are expected to last about 12 hours, but it could take more than 24 hours – perhaps up to 36 hours – for some areas to experience rain and strong winds, he added.
Areas under surveillance
The Bay of Fundy coast of New Brunswick and most of mainland Nova Scotia were under a tropical storm warning Friday morning. A hurricane watch was in place for Grand Manan Island and coastal Charlotte County, New Brunswick, as well as Digby, Yarmouth, Shelburne and Queens counties in Nova Scotia.
Environment Canada is monitoring areas where hurricane-force winds could threaten within 36 hours, according to the agency’s website. The image of a watch does not mean that a hurricane will definitely hit; This is a warning to everyone in the area to be prepared to act quickly if this happens.
Bonnie Morse, mayor of the village of Grand Manan, said preparations are also underway on the island, located in the Bay of Fundy. Grand Manan council held an emergency preparedness meeting Thursday with police and other first responders to plan for what might happen, Morse said.
The island is used to big storms that hit in winter when the ground is frozen and the trees are bare. But right now, the ground is saturated from the rain of recent days, she explained. And the trees are full and leafy, meaning they could more easily destroy power lines if they fall.
“We hope that this will not happen like Fiona last year in Nova Scotia,” said Mr.me Morse during an interview Thursday, referring to the post-tropical storm that hit the region last September. “We hope we all come out of this well.” »
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs warned residents to have enough food, medicine and other supplies to last 72 hours. “Don’t put yourself in danger. And warn others, certainly, to do the same,” he said Friday afternoon during a hurricane briefing.
With records from Sarah Smellie in St. John’s, Nfld. -L.