Gonzalo delivers knockout punch to Bermuda, continues path to Atlantic Canada
Digital Reporter
Saturday, October 18, 2014, 11:56 AM -
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The Weather Network is on the ground in St. John's, N.L., with Chris St. Clair and Nathan Coleman leading the reports alongside meteorologists Jaclyn Whittal, Mark Robinson. Current projections point to Gonzalo making landfall early Sunday morning, with the potential for Category 2 wind gusts and waves reaching 12 to 15 metres in height.
"We're confident Gonzalo will be more of a glancing blow than a direct hit on the Avalon," says Weather Network Chief Meteorologist Chris Scott. "Gonzalo will be sideswiping the peninsula keeping the worst winds offshore. This will be a dangerous storm for marine areas including the Grand Banks where waves could be as high as a six-storey building. While Gonzalo is unlikely to be an memorable storm for St. John's, it still deserves respect as it will bring a quick burst of heavy rain overnight and some gusty winds."
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On Friday the storm made landfall in Bermuda, knocking down power lines, uprooting trees and leaving the tiny British territory of approximately 70,000 people without power. It was the second major storm to affect the island in less than a week. Gonzalo approached Bermuda as a Category 3 storm then weakened to Category 2 before coming ashore with sustained winds of up to 175 km/h.
This video posted on Instagram shows the wind thrashing through trees as the category 2 storm made landfall Friday.
The storm is expected to weaken as it heads north towards Newfoundland, but the Canadian Hurricane Centre still urges people to be prepared for the high winds and rain. The centre says there is about a 30 per cent chance of the storm making landfall on the southern Avalon Peninsula. It says the storm could track towards St. Mary's Bay or about 150 km southeast of Cape Race.
Our location- St. John's Newfoundland. Here the latest satellite of #Gonzalo as it begins to accelerate toward Canada pic.twitter.com/pv2E6Nn15n
— Jaclyn Whittal (@jwhittalTWN) October 18, 2014
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Forecasters say there could be flooding on the Avalon Peninsula and storm surges in Cape Race and Trepassey if Gonzalo arrives at high tide early Sunday.
Winds could gust to 80 kilometres an hour, and hurricane-force wind warnings in effect for the Grand Banks area.
The centre says tropical storm and rainfall warnings have been issued, with more than 50 millimetres expected. \The Weather Network will be live Saturday with up-to-the-minute news and analysis from Newfoundland, tune in all-day.
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