There are a few reasons why is already being labelled a 鈥渉istorical storm鈥� for Eastern Canada, and one is its unusual left hook.
released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows that, once it passes the 40th parallel north, its trajectory appears to veer slightly left, taking it straight to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
Bob Robichaud, warning preparedness meteorologist with the Canadian Hurricane Centre, doesn鈥檛 see this path changing.
鈥淭he track of the storm remains pretty much the same as what we鈥檝e been talking about the last few days,鈥� Robichaud said in a virtual media briefing on Friday.
鈥淭he storm is expected to make landfall in eastern Nova Scotia. But鈥� the impacts are going to be felt way beyond where the centre of the storm actually goes.鈥�
What makes this storm path unusual, experts say, is that hurricanes moving north from the subtropics usually veer east, away from the coast, when they hit the which are between the 30th and 60th parallels north.
This is due to the Coriolis effect. The NOAA as the way Earth鈥檚 counterclockwise rotation causes weather events travelling over a large distance, such as storms, to appear as if they鈥檙e veering to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.
As the NOAA explains, closeness to the equator determines the forward speed. Near the poles, the Earth rotates more slowly. Near the equator, it rotates more quickly. Because of this, weather systems moving north from the equator track toward the east because they鈥檙e travelling from the faster-moving equator up to the slower-moving northern hemisphere.
In the case of Fiona, however, the an intense upper level trough is forcing the storm left, or west, in spite of the Coriolis effect.
Although the curve doesn鈥檛 appear severe, it鈥檚 significant compared to the eastern curve a hurricane would normally take. The Canadian Hurricane Centre reports Fiona鈥檚 centre will land directly over eastern Nova Scotia late on Saturday morning, at which point it will be classified as a powerful sub-tropical storm.
Hurricane Sandy, to which this storm is already being compared, in October 2012 when it veered into New Jersey and New York. In New York City, that storm the deaths of 44 residents and an estimated $19 billion in damages and lost economic activity
Another factor contributing to Fiona鈥檚 projected severity is water temperatures off the east coast, according to AccuWeather. Hurricanes are usually weakened by progressively colder waters as they reach the North Atlantic. This year, however, water temperatures in the North Atlantic, particularly south of Atlantic Canada, are running about 6 C to 11 C higher than average.
鈥淭hose warmer-than-usual waters may result in less weakening of the hurricane or a slower transformation to a rainstorm,鈥� Thursday.
Fiona is dangerous winds, heavy rain, large waves and storm surges to Atlantic Canada. Impacts are likely to include prolonged utility outages, wind damage to trees and structures, coastal flooding and possible road washouts. Parts of Nova Scotia could receive more than 150 mm of rain by Sunday.
鈥淲e expect landfall on Saturday morning as a very powerful post-tropical storm, and from landfall that storm is going to move once again towards the north east,鈥� Robichaud said. 鈥淎s of Friday afternoon, (Fiona) remains on track to be an extreme weather event here in Eastern Canada."
Government officials say people should by securing outside items, trimming dead branches to reduce the danger of these falling and stocking up on water, ready-to-eat food, heating fuel, flashlights and radios, extra batteries and other emergency supplies.
