Powerful storm is expected to make landfall in eastern Nova Scotia early Saturday
The Canadian Hurricane Centre says Hurricane Fiona will make landfall in eastern Nova Scotia as a powerful post-tropical storm early Saturday
In a Friday afternoon briefing, Bob Robichaud, a warning preparedness meteorologist with the centre, cautioned people not to focus on the hurricane’s track since its effects will be felt across a swath of eastern Canada
Environment Canada says this includes much of Nova Scotia, P.E.I., southeastern New Brunswick, western and southwestern Newfoundland, and some parts of Quebec bordering the Gulf of St. Lawrenc
It’s still a major hurricane and it’s only 900 kilometres away from us [south of Halifax] and it’s getting bigger,
said Robichaud
He cautioned it’s difficult for a storm like that to wind down
as it makes landfall
.Robichaud said rainfalls of 100 millimetres to 150 millimetres are expected in Nova Scotia, with localized amounts that could be greater
.He said wind speeds won’t drop significantly until Saturday afternoon and into the evening
Robichaud said Fiona is bigger than Hurricane Juan, the 2003 storm that pummeled Nova Scotia. It’s similar in size to Hurricane Dorian (new window), which hit Nova Scotia in 2019, but it’s stronger
It is certainly going to be a historic, extreme event for Atlantic Canada,
. said Robichaud
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.He said the two biggest risks the storm presents for P.E.I. are strong winds, which could exceed 140 km/h, and a large storm surge
Robichaud said the largest potential for coastal flooding will be Saturday morning on Nova Scotia’s north shore, P.E.I. and eastern New Brunswick
