Hurricane Fiona to hit Atlantic Canada with ‘potentially severe’ impact
Posted September 21, 2022 7:56 am.
Hurricane Fiona continues to pick up strength as it churns north and storm forecasters are now warning of a potentially severe impact on Atlantic Canada this weekend.
The storm, now a Category 4 hurricane, is expected to begin impacting Atlantic Canada on Friday, and continuing through the weekend. Environment Canada warns of severe and damaging wind gusts, very high waves and coastal storm surge, and intense rainfall rates.
“Strong to severe wind gusts are expected to begin impacting the province overnight on Friday peaking on Saturday,” warns Environment Canada. “Past storms of this nature have produced prolonged utility outages and structural damage.”
A ‘Tropical Cyclone statement‘ has now been issued for Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, and eastern parts of New Brunswick.
Residents are being advised to prepare emergency kits and complete any necessary household preparations as soon as possible. Environment Canada recommends each household has sufficient food and water for up to 72 hours, and residents should ensure they have a way to charge cell phones if they do not have a landline.
“This storm is shaping up to be a potentially severe event for Atlantic Canada,” says the Canadian Hurricane Centre. “Numerous weather models are quite consistent in their prediction of what we call a deep hybrid low pressure system, possessing both tropical and intense winter storm-type properties.”
The Canadian Hurricane Centre is tracking Fiona as it makes its way towards Atlantic Canada.
Heavy rain is expected to start on Thursday and forecasters say flooding and washed out roads are likely in many areas. More specific details in terms of expected wind speeds and rainfall totals are going to be released in the coming days.
“Currently the range of uncertainty with regard to the centre of the low when it approaches late Friday or Saturday is approximately a 600 to 700 kilometre wide zone centered over Cape Breton with a broad coverage of hurricane-force winds including over land.”
The Hurricane Centre says the current forecast is the most likely scenario for Atlantic Canada regardless of whether Fiona is classified as a ‘Hurricane’ or a ‘Post-Tropical Storm’ when it arrives.
Fiona strengthens into Category 4 storm, heads past Bermuda
Fiona strengthened into a Category 4 storm Wednesday after devastating Puerto Rico, then lashing the Dominican Republic and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
It was forecast to squeeze past Bermuda later this week.
The storm has been blamed for directly causing at least four deaths in its march through the Caribbean, where winds and torrential rain in Puerto Rico left a majority of people on the U.S. territory without power or running water. Hundreds of thousands of people scraped mud out of their homes following what authorities described as “historic” flooding.
In the Turks and Caicos Islands, officials reported minimal damage and no deaths despite the storm’s eye passing close to Grand Turk, the small British territory’s capital island, on Tuesday morning.
With files from the Associated Press
