Maritimes hit by strong fall storm

HALIFAX – Maritimers are facing strong gusts and localized downpours today as a slow-moving low pressure system crawls through the region.

Ian Hubbard, a meteorologist at Environment Canada, says it’s expected that there will be sustained winds of about 60 kilometres per hour through much of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and parts of New Brunswick, with some coastal gusts of 90 kilometres per hour.

The weather service has said residents should secure shingles, clean up loose debris and expect some localized flooding in areas where water is prone to gather during downpours.

Hubbard says the latest storm won’t pack the punch of the Sept. 7 post-tropical storm Dorian but is more a “typical fall storm” in Atlantic Canada that will likely last for six or seven hours.

He says there are rain warnings out for some parts of the region, with amounts expected to hit 50 to 70 millimetres.

The storm will gradually shift east over Cape Breton in the late afternoon and evening, and Newfoundland’s Avalon peninsula can expect some strong winds in the evening as well.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2019.