A hurricane warning is in place for all three counties in PEI and the nearby Magdalen Islands, with Category 1 winds and torrential rain expected, according to Environment Canada. As of 7 a.m. Saturday, more than 82,000 customers in PEI were without power, according to Maritime Electric’s outage map. Outages are widespread across the island, but are particularly concentrated in the Charlottetown area and Kings County. Maritime Electric has about 86,000 total customers, according to its website. Satellite image of Fiona taken by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Saturday. (NOAA) Environment Canada expects Kings County to see the most rainfall, with Queens and Kings counties likely to experience the worst winds. In Nova Scotia, there are more than 410,000 households without power. Maritime Electric spokesman Kim Griffin told CBC News crews were able to restore power to some households Friday night, but it was knocked out again. Charlottetown police had tweeted around 1 a.m. that the utility had pulled crews off the roads until conditions improved. Griffin said Maritime Electric has more than 55 crews, more than it had for Tropical Storm Dorian. But he added that they won’t be able to make an assessment until Fiona crosses the island. On Friday, the company said some customers could be without power Sunday. “As soon as we can get out safely, we’ll go out and assess that damage as quickly as we can,” Griffin said. “We want [Islanders] to stay home as safely as possible right now and ride out the storm to safety.” The conditions are like nothing we’ve ever seen. We are taking reports of downed trees and power lines, but will only respond to emergency calls. -Dispatcher Kelly ☎️ pic.twitter.com/gX7YPTPDSN —@ChtownPolice
“Like nothing we’ve ever seen”
Charlottetown police said early Saturday that the city’s Public Works had also pulled crews. Police said there were many reports of downed trees, downed power lines and blocked roads. “The conditions are unlike anything we’ve ever seen,” he tweeted. “We are taking reports of downed trees and power lines, but will only respond to emergency calls.” Tanya Mullally of the provincial Emergency Management Agency said Saturday morning that while it was too early for the EMO to receive official reports, they were monitoring social media for reports of damage. “The storm surge is hitting along the north side right now quite significantly, so we’re seeing reports of water over the docks … where we have tide gauges,” he said. “We know there’s damage out there and it’s pretty extensive and pretty extensive. Power is out I’d say almost 95 percent across the province.” County dispatchers said the county has no vehicles on the roads and would only escort EMS or first responders if requested — which had not happened as of 3 a.m. Queens and Kings County dispatchers say they are getting a lot of reports of downed trees.
Fiona makes landfall in NS
This screenshot of the Maritime Electric website shows a map of the utility’s customers without power as of 5:10 a.m. Saturday’s. (Maritime Electric) The Canadian hurricane center reported at 3:39 a.m. that the storm made landfall in eastern Nova Scotia between Kanso and Guysboro. CBC meteorologist Ryan Snoddon said the storm approached the province at 64 km/h, but had slowed significantly as it arrived. Snoddon said this will be a long-running event for PEI and eastern Nova Scotia. The Center had said Fiona had upgraded from a hurricane to a post-tropical cyclone shortly after midnight. CBC meteorologist Jay Scotland said Fiona’s transition to a post-tropical storm would not mean it is weaker, but that its structure is changing. He said the storm would be similar to an intense Easter norway, but with heavy rainfall and the ability to produce hurricane-force winds.
Island with gusts of 100 km/h
Wind gusts in PEI from 4:15 AM. AT (Jay Scotland/CBC) PEI has been under severe weather warnings since Friday, with Environment Canada warning of heavy rainfall, localized flooding, flash flooding, dangerous wind gusts and higher than normal water levels. As of 4:44 am environment Canada provided:
Winds between 90 km/h gusting to 120 km/h and up to 150 km/h in exposed areas in Kings and Queens County. Prince County is expected to see winds of 70 km/h with gusts of 100-120 km/h. Environment Canada predicts winds will be light later this afternoon or early afternoon. A storm surge with maximum waves between 6 and 8 meters, breaking on approach to shore. Rainfall varies between 50 and 125 mm, with local amounts possibly exceeding 150 mm. Heavy rain is expected to continue into the afternoon.
Parts of central and eastern PEI have already received between 50 and 80mm of rain by early Saturday morning. Queens and Kings County dispatchers say they are getting a lot of reports of downed trees. (Mitch Cormier/CBC) The Canadian Hurricane Center said around midnight that the highest wind gusts reported were on Beaver Island, Nova Scotia at 152 km/h. An emergency alert sounded around 7 a.m., reminding islanders to stay indoors and stay away from windows and doors due to strong winds. As of 2:30 a.m., East Point in PEI had recorded maximum winds of 140 km/h, while Charlottetown, Summerside, St. Peters and the North Cape were seeing gusts in excess of 100km/h. Scotland said winds could intensify further within hours. Peak gusts in PEI starting Saturday at 2:30 AM. (Jay Scotland/CBC) Environment Canada was tight-lipped about the potential impact of the storm on the hurricane warning. “These winds could cause significant downed trees and cause widespread outages. Damage to the cladding and roofing material of buildings is possible, including structural damage in some cases. Winds of this magnitude could cause the breakage of windows and tear up large aerial highway signs.”
Big waves
The warning also said Fiona “will lead to damage to docks and breakwaters. Significant shoreline erosion and large waves are expected where winds blow onshore.” People who must go outdoors during the storm are being warned to watch for wind-blown debris and downed power lines, among other hazards. Countless reports of wires down and large trees impassable on many roads across the city. It’s not safe to be on the streets. We will continue to share photos of Fiona’s impact. -Dispatcher Kelly ☎️ pic.twitter.com/1S5F3sXTQu —@ChtownPolice Residents are being warned to stay completely away from the coast due to the risk of large waves and dangerous currents. Islanders living on the North Shore whose properties have experienced storms and flooding in the past were warned to seek higher ground if possible, with the possibility of north-facing windows being blown out or broken by debris. David Sansom, president of the Red Head Harbor Authority in Morell, said about a third of the harbor structure “let go.” “[The boats are] all hit,” he said. “Some boats will be fine and some will have damage. “A mussel plant, the roof came off. We don’t really know the extent of the damage. It’s still very dark. The power has been out since midnight… The tide was so high nobody could reach anything. I don’t even have to expel”. Closer shot of fallen tree. I would also like to add that I was able to get my shots out my door. I wouldn’t suggest going out in this storm. pic.twitter.com/p41WdfG8SL —@TonyDavisCBC The province plans to create an online and telephone reporting tool so that, starting Sunday, islanders can report damage to critical infrastructure such as roads and bridges. Roads that are blocked or damaged can be reported by calling 511 or these numbers, the province said in a release.
Travel implications
At 12:45 the Confederation Bridge was closed to all traffic until the weather changed. The bridge previously said it expected the restrictions to affect traffic on the bridge until early Sunday. Northumberland Ferries canceled all services on Saturday and the company expects disruption on Sunday as well. For more information on the holidays announced due to the storm, click here: Hurricane Fiona: What’s open and closed in PEI
