Hurricane Earl set to swipe south of Atlantic Canada, risk of heavy rain, winds
Canadian Hurricane Centre closely watching Hurricane Earl as it pulls away from Bermuda and enters Canadian waters this weekend.
Forecasters continue to keep a close eye on Hurricane Earl as it's set to track into Canadian waters this weekend. While the storm is expected to pass far to the southeast of both the Maritimes and Newfoundland, the region could still feel some effects of the growing storm as it swirls and pinwheels just off the coast through Tuesday.
Earl strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane on Thursday, dropping to Category 1 storm briefly before re-strengthening once again. As of Friday evening, Earl's maximum sustained winds were 165 km/h, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The centre of Earl passed very close to Bermuda on Thursday night, though it's moving faster northeastward as it pulls away from the island. Tropical storm warnings were discontinued Friday morning.
Swells generated by Earl are affecting Bermuda and portions of the U.S. East Coast and are expected to reach Nova Scotia and Newfoundland by Friday night and Saturday.
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After peaking on Friday, the hurricane will slowly begin to weaken and lose tropical characteristics as it slows down offshore from Newfoundland.
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Earl pushes into Canadian waters for the weekend
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) issued a tropical cyclone statement for the Avalon Peninsula as they continue to monitor the hurricane’s progress.
"Most impacts from this storm are expected to remain offshore, but showers at times heavy and strong northeasterly winds are likely over the Avalon Peninsula Saturday into early Monday," ECCC said in its statement on Friday morning.
Gusty northeasterly winds are possible over the Avalon Peninsula by Saturday afternoon and will persist into Sunday, prompting a wind warning for the region, with gusts over higher terrain reaching 100 km/h.
Due to the fact that Earl is going to get caught up in an upper level trough swinging across Atlantic Canada, it will keep the storm pinwheeling just off the coast until early Tuesday contributing to locally high rainfall totals over the Avalon. This means the city of St. John's could see some impressive amounts of rain.
"Remember, this rain will fall over several days however, so the threat for flooding would be low, but Earl will still likely lead to a very wet few days for communities on the Avalon Peninsula," says Kelly Sonnenburg, a meteorologist at The Weather Network.
Also, higher than normal surf is likely along the south facing coastlines of Atlantic Canada.
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The NHC also outlined two disturbances in the tropical Atlantic for potential development over the next five days. These systems remain far from land and there’s plenty of time to watch their potential development and tracks.
Stay with The Weather Network for the latest forecasts throughout hurricane season.