Halifax: Eastern Canada braced for what could be the most intense storm in the country’s history on Saturday as Hurricane Fiona headed toward Nova Scotia nearly a week after devastating parts of the Caribbean.
Experts forecast strong winds, storm surges and heavy rain from Fiona, which was expected to weaken to a Category 3 hurricane on Friday night but remain a hurricane-strength storm. ga as it moves across Atlantic Canada.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delayed departure for Japan on Saturday, where he was scheduled to attend the funeral of slain former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, to receive a briefing and support the government’s emergency response, press secretary Cecile Roy said on Twitter.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Friday night maximum sustained winds reached 105 mph (165 km/h), prompting a hurricane warning for central Nova Scotia and much of Prince Edward Island. is in effect, which is home to more than 150,000 people, and parts of Newfoundland, the US National Hurricane Center said.
It was supposed to make landfall in eastern Nova Scotia Saturday morning, but rain and wind had already started Friday night.
“Its center is one thing, but the weather that’s associated with it in terms of rainfall and where all the strong winds are going, it’s going to be over a much larger area,” said Ian Hubbard, a meteorologist with the Canadian Hurricane Centre.
“A lot of places away from the center of the storm are still going to be hit hard,” Hubbard said.
Rough and fast surf with waves of up to 10 meters (33 feet) is expected to hit the east coast of Nova Scotia on Friday night.
Canadian authorities sent out emergency alerts in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, warning of coastal flooding and extremely dangerous waves. People in coastal areas have been advised to evacuate.
“We’ve had a few before, but they say this is going to be the biggest of them all,” said Chris McPhee, 53, of Sydney, Nova Scotia, who stocked up on groceries, batteries and candles. He said he was “feeling a little nervous, I guess.”
Canadian Hurricane Center meteorologist Bob Robichaud said at a briefing that the storm could prove to be more powerful than Hurricane Joan in 2003 and Hurricane Dorian in 2019.
The country’s two largest carriers, Air Canada and WestJet Airlines, have suspended regional service since Friday evening.
Fiona ravaged the Caribbean islands earlier in the week, killing at least eight people and leaving nearly all of Puerto Rico’s 3.3 million people without power during a severe heat wave. About a million customers were still without power five days later.
Following Fiona in the Caribbean is Tropical Storm Ian, which is expected to become a hurricane Sunday night. A hurricane watch is in effect for the Cayman Islands, the NHC said.
The storm’s expected track will take it just south of Jamaica, over western Cuba and into Florida early next week, the hurricane center said.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency on Friday, freeing up funding and emergency services ahead of the storm.
