Hurricane Fiona will accelerate and bring « hurricane-force winds » to Atlantic Canada

According to Environment Canada, Hurricane Fiona is continuing north and is expected to hit Nova Scotia late Friday and Saturday morning.

Fiona is currently located just over 2,000 kilometers south-southwest of Sable Island and is sustaining winds of 213 kilometers per hour.

The Category 4 hurricane is currently moving north-northeast at 24 kilometers per hour.

The hurricane is expected to turn northeast and then accelerate on Thursday.

« This storm is shaping up to be a serious event for Atlantic Canada and Eastern Quebec, » read a 9-hour update from Environment Canada.

« Most areas will experience hurricane-force winds. »

Fiona is expected to turn northeast and then accelerate, reaching Sable Island Friday evening as it develops into a post-tropical storm.

It is then expected to make landfall over eastern mainland Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island on Saturday morning. The hurricane will reach the Lower North Shore of Quebec and southeastern Labrador early Sunday.

Fiona is expected to bring widespread rainfall, between 100 and 200 millimeters, although it may be higher in areas closer to the hurricane’s path.

« High winds and precipitation will have major impacts on eastern Prince Edward Island, eastern Nova Scotia, western Newfoundland, eastern Quebec and southeast Labrador, » the weather agency said.

Winds are expected to hit the region late Friday and continue into Saturday.

“Similar cyclones of this nature have caused structural damage to buildings,” according to Environment Canada.

Large waves are also expected for coastal areas. In eastern Nova Scotia, waves could exceed 10 meters Friday evening, and similar waves will likely reach Newfoundland by Saturday morning. The eastern parts of the Gulf of St. Lawrence could see waves over 12 meters.

Nova Scotians and Atlantic Canadians are urged to prepare as the province awaits Fiona’s arrival.

At a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Jason Mew, director of the Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office’s Incident Management Division, had a simple message: be prepared.

« I can’t stress this enough…prepare today, continue to prepare tomorrow for a very intense Friday night into Saturday event, » he said Wednesday.

The Canadian Hurricane Center in Nova Scotia is holding a media briefing at 1 p.m. AT in Dartmouth. The event will be streamed live on this page.

With files by Alex Cooke.

– more soon.