‘Historic Storm’: Fiona Will Be Severe Event for Atlantic Coast, Hurricane Centre Warns

Pedestrians shield themselves from heavy rain falling ahead of Hurricane Fiona making landfall in Halifax, on Sept. 23, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Darren Calabrese)

As Hurricane Fiona remains on course to hit land in Atlantic Canada early Saturday, the Canadian Hurricane Centre (CHC) is warning that it will be a “severe event” for the Atlantic provinces and eastern Quebec.

“Fiona will impact Atlantic Canada and eastern Quebec with heavy rainfall and powerful hurricane force winds,” the CHC said.

In an earlier statement, the agency said warnings “are now in effect for what looks to be a historic storm for eastern Canada.”

This satellite image provided by NOAA shows Hurricane Fiona in the Atlantic Ocean near Bermuda, moving north on Sept. 22, 2022. (NOAA via AP)

As of the morning of Sept. 23, Fiona’s maximum sustained winds were 204 kilometres per hour, with the storm moving northeast at around 50 kilometres per hour, said the CHC. It will eventually transform into a post-tropical storm with heavy rainfall and powerful winds.

“Severe winds and rainfall will have major impacts for eastern Prince Edward Island, eastern Nova Scotia, southern and eastern New Brunswick, western Newfoundland, eastern Quebec, and southeastern Labrador,” CHC said, noting that there will also be “large waves.”

“Similar cyclones of this nature have produced structural damage to buildings. Construction sites may be particularly vulnerable. Wind impacts will be enhanced by foliage on the trees, potentially causing prolonged and widespread utility outages.”

Nova Scotia Power is deploying about 800 utility workers across the province to be ready for outages and damage to power lines. The Construction Association of Nova Scotia is battening down construction sites and cranes. When Hurricane Dorian hit the province in 2019, a 73-metre crane in downtown Halifax was knocked over, damaging a building that was under construction.

Citizens are being warned to prepare for power outages and flooding.

According to CHC, 100-200 millimetres of rain is expected and “rough and pounding surf” will create waves as high as 12 metres.

A combination of storm surge and large waves could cause coastal flooding, which will be a “threat for parts of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island including the Northumberland Strait, the Gulf of St. Lawrence region including Iles-de-la-Madeleine and eastern New Brunswick, and southwest Newfoundland,” it said.

The Weather Network reported that Fiona was still “a powerful Category 3 hurricane” on the morning of Sept. 23.

“The track of Fiona is different in terms of how historically hurricanes have moved over the East Coast, and this one is not conforming to the standard. Any time you get a unique storm like this, you’re going to get big damage,” the Weather Network stated.

“This is not just a hurricane either, it’s more like a hurricane and a nor'easter combined.”

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.