The Canadian hurricane center said the storm will make landfall in eastern Nova Scotia as a strong posttropical storm early Saturday, bringing with it heavy rainfall, strong winds and thunderstorms. Forecasters warned the storm could affect a swath of the country, including Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, southeastern New Brunswick, western and southwestern Newfoundland and parts of Quebec bordering the Gulf of St. Lawrence . “Most areas will experience hurricane force winds. These strong winds will begin to affect the area late Friday and continue into Saturday. Similar cyclones of this nature have caused structural damage to buildings,” the center said. Heavy rain and flooding are expected, especially to the north and west of the storm, which left more than a million people without power in Puerto Rico as it churned in the Caribbean. “It certainly has the potential to be one of the more severe systems to hit eastern Canada,” Ian Hubbard, a meteorologist with the Canadian Hurricane Center, told The Associated Press. On Friday, Hurricane Fiona slammed into Bermuda, battering the island with heavy rain and strong winds. Authorities in the area opened shelters and closed schools, the AP reports. Restaurant tables are overturned in downtown Halifax on Friday. Photo: Darren Calabrese/AP “We’re not out of the woods yet,” said Michael Weeks, the country’s security minister, adding that there were no major reports of damage but that people should stay indoors and off the roads. In Canada, a hurricane watch has been issued for much of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the hurricane could make landfall as a “large and powerful posttropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds.” Emergency alerts for the storm have been sent out in Nova Scotia, with authorities warning people to stay inside, charge devices and avoid coastlines as wind damage and power outages are possible. Local residents are also preparing for the impending storm, the CBC reported, sharing a number of storm preparation techniques on social media, such as keeping extra batteries on hand and using ice to keep food cold in the event of a power outage. Forecasters are particularly concerned about potential storm damage in coastal areas. “We’re looking at maybe near or even the highest water levels they’ve ever seen, so it could be quite, quite dangerous, quite damaging,” Environment Canada meteorologist Rob Carroll told the CBC. Hurricanes in Canada are rare, with storms typically losing strength as they reach colder waters. But the storm headed for Canada still has hurricane-level winds. Officials continued to prepare, setting up shelters for people to use before the storm approaches. “We’ve had these types of events in the past, but my fear is not to this extent,” Amanda McDougall, mayor of Cape Breton Regional Municipality, told the AP. “The effects will be big, real and immediate.”
