Hurricane Fiona: Charts show destructive potential


Hurricane Fiona is heading into Atlantic Canada, likely leaving behind heavy rain, high winds, power outages and flooding.

CTVNews.ca outlines Fiona’s destructive potential in five graphics, as residents prepare to prepare for extreme weather before the storm arrives.

ON THE ATLANTIC, TOWARDS NS

This map shows the position of Hurricane Fiona in the Atlantic Friday morning as it approaches Nova Scotia.

Early Friday afternoon, Fiona was moving over the Atlantic Ocean, north of Bermuda. The storm had hit the island with heavy rain and high winds as a Category 4 storm before weakening to Category 3.

“At noon today, Hurricane Fiona was located approximately 900 kilometers south of Halifax, still a very, very powerful storm with winds of 215 kilometers per hour. And the movement at that exact moment was 56 kilometers per hour towards the northeast, “said Bob Robichaud of the Canadian Hurricane Center during a press briefing on Friday. “So he started this increase in speed d advancement that we have been waiting for in recent days.”

TO LAND

This map shows where Fiona could make landfall Saturday morning as a possible Category 3 hurricane.

Fiona is expected to make landfall in northeastern Nova Scotia as a post-tropical storm Saturday morning. As of Friday, the storm is a Category 3 hurricane and experts say it could maintain that strength by the time it makes landfall.

“If so, it would be the first time this has happened across Atlantic Canada. It will also likely record the lowest surface pressure in Canada,” CTV’s Yours Chief Meteorologist Kelsey McEwan said Friday. Morning.

After making landfall in Nova Scotia, the storm is expected to continue north and reach Labrador and the North Shore region of Quebec by Sunday morning, while also affecting the western edge of Newfoundland.

DRIVING RAIN

This map shows how much rain different parts of Atlantic Canada are likely to receive in the wake of Hurricane Fiona.

Buckets of rain are forecast for most of Atlantic Canada and parts of eastern Quebec.

On the east coast of Nova Scotia, as well as in Halifax, where Fiona is expected to make landfall, more than 250 millimeters of rain are expected.

“We expect heavy rain to develop again tonight overnight and continue into Saturday morning in some areas,” Robichaud said.

SOUFFLÉ

As this map shows, winds of up to 160 km/h are expected when Fiona makes landfall on the East Coast.

Hurricane-force winds with gusts of up to 160 km/h are also expected. The strongest winds are likely to be felt over Cape Breton Island, Prince Edward Island, the Gaspé Peninsula and western Newfoundland, experts say. Strong winds could also knock out electricity in most affected areas.

“These winds could cause significant tree falls and lead to prolonged utility outages. Damage to building sheathing and roofing materials is likely, including structural damage in some cases. Winds of this strength could break windows and tearing down large overhead road signs,” Environment Canada said in a warning.

DON’T CATCH THESE WAVES

Even before landing, Fiona could bring waves up to 15 meters off Sable Island.

Off Nova Scotia, Fiona is expected to bring massive waves, before she even makes landfall.

Early Saturday morning, waves off Sable Island in eastern Nova Scotia are expected to reach a maximum height of 15 metres.

“We are seeing very large waves reaching the Nova Scotia coast overnight that will spread north into the Gulf of St. Lawrence Saturday morning, and continue through the day Saturday as the storm slowly retreats away said Robichaud.

Many coastal regions of Atlantic Canada are also facing storm surge warnings from Environment Canada. Waves up to eight meters could engulf the shores and potentially cause severe flooding.