CNBC Posts — Hurricane Fiona 2022, one of the strongest storms ever to hit Canada pounded Nova Scotia’s coastline early Saturday morning, leaving over 376,000 people powerless according to Nova Scotia Power, with anticipation of more than 540,000 outages before she winds down. Fiona has now been termed a post-tropical cyclone and her destruction is arguably considered a historical ‘extreme weather event’ for Canada, threatening nearly two months’ worth of rainfall in just a couple of days.
Hurricane Fiona landed over Guysborough county on the northeast corner of mainland Nova Scotia early Saturday morning, as reported by Canada’s weather service. The maximum sustained winds measured upwards of 80 mph and peak gusts were detected over 100 mph. In fact, maximum wind speeds on Beaver Island in eastern Nova Scotia were recorded at 94 mph (152 km/h).
Official Say Storm Surge Will Be “Significant”
Fiona had been labeled a Category 4 storm early Wednesday over the Atlantic after passing the Turks and Caicos and remained so until late Friday. As of Friday evening, in local news, weather forecasters note Fiona is downgraded to a Category 2 storm but is still expected to bring severe wind and heavy rain from damaging storm surges.
“Although gradual weakening is forecast during the next couple of days, Fiona is expected to be a powerful hurricane-force cyclone when it moves across Atlantic Canada,” the National Hurricane Center center said in a Friday night advisory.
Tanya Mullally, who serves as the province’s head of emergency management, said one of the most pressing concerns with Hurricane Fiona 2022 is the historic storm surge it is expected to unleash. “Storm surge is certainly going to be significant. … Flooding that we have not seen nor can we measure against,” commented Mullally during an update Thursday.
The brunt of the storm will likely affect the northern portion of the island the most, due to the direction of the winds. This will cause significant property damage and coastal flooding, Mullally said.
Final Thoughts
Hurricane Fiona 2022 has already claimed at least five lives and millions are without power as she battered multiple Caribbean islands this past week. The Turks and Caicos, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic sustained heavy damage to homes and water infrastructure leaving many residents trying to recover.
As of Friday, the Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office has reported the closure of all beaches, day-use parks, and provincial campgrounds as well as the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park.
Our thoughts and prayers are with those struggling to recover in the mid-Atlantic area and those in Nova Scotia and eastern Canada attempting to whether Fiona’s storm surge battering and begin reconstruction from the heavy damages. According to officials, residents may find some temporary relief in knowing shelters have been established throughout Nova Scotia, including multiple in Halifax County.