Tropical storm Leslie to reach Newfoundland with 100km/hour winds

Atlantic Canada is expecting strong winds and heavy rainfall as tropical storm Leslie will reach Newfoundland by Sept. 11, according to the Canadian Hurricane Centre.

“The likelihood of Leslie’s centre making landfall somewhere in Newfoundland is looking almost certain now,” the Halifax-based centre reports. The storm’s effects will reach 800km in diameter, creating difficulty in predicting exactly where in Newfoundland it will land.

The centre expects direct effects of the storm in southern and eastern Newfoundland, while rainfall warnings are in effect for Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and most of Newfoundland. Parts of western and central Nova Scotia have already seen about 100mm of rain, with more expected throughout the day on Sept. 10.

Winds will be strongest in eastern Newfoundland, where southerly winds could reach up to 120km per hour. Northerly winds could reach up to100km per hour in parts of western and northern Newfoundland. In Nova Scotia, the strongest winds will be over Cape Breton and could reach 80km per hour by the morning of Sept. 11.

Event-total rainfall could reach between 100 and 150mm, the centre says. As of Sept. 10, the areas with heaviest rainfall include eastern mainland Nova Scotia, Cape Breton and western Newfoundland. Rainfall in this range could lead to flooding issues, especially flash-type flooding, the centre says.

The much smaller hurricane Michael, to the east of Leslie, isn’t expected to have an impact in Atlantic Canada, according to the centre.