Post-tropical cyclone Fiona is bringing heavy rains and hurricane-force winds to eastern Canada this morning, while Tropical Depression 9 was upgraded to Tropical Storm Ian Friday night.
At the 8:00 a.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center, Fiona was about 200 miles (340 kilometers) northeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and producing maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 kph) while moving north at 23 mph (37 kph).
The Canadian government said just before 5 a.m. Eastern that parts of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island had already received nearly five inches of rain, reports the New York Times.
Exposed areas of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island were feeling hurricane-force gusts, and the storm was expected to weaken later in the weekend, the Canadian Hurricane Center said in a separate advisory on Saturday morning.
Fiona was forecast to bear down on Labrador and the Labrador Sea on Sunday. A storm surge was expected in parts of Nova Scotia, western Newfoundland, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Tropical Storm Ian forms
Forecasters were also monitoring three other weather systems in the Atlantic early Saturday, including Tropical Storm Ian, which could threaten Florida as a major hurricane early next week.
At the 8:00 a.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center, Ian was about 800 miles (485 kilometers) south-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, with sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph). heading to the west-southwest at 15 mph (24 kph);.
The storm will have a west-northwestward motion through early Sunday, with a turn toward the northwest late Sunday. Ian is also expected to further strengthen throughout the day over the warm waters of the Central Caribbean Sea.
“Rapid intensification is forecast Monday through Wednesday over some very warm water,” WESH 2 Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi said. “GFS model continues to be slower and west of Euro with the forecast cone between these two models tonight. Intensity forecasts remain very impressive in the Category 2 – Category 4 range.”
The National Hurricane Center said that residents of South Florida and the Florida Keys should prepare hurricane supplies by sunset on Monday. The storm could hit the peninsula as a Category 3 hurricane or higher, it said.
On Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida declared a state of emergency for 24 counties ahead of the storm, including Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach. Under the order, money would be freed up for protective measures and the National Guard would be activated, Mr. DeSantis said.
“Today, I signed an Executive Order issuing a State of Emergency due to the threat of Tropical Depression Nine,” DeSantis said in the release. “This storm has the potential to strengthen into a major hurricane and we encourage all Floridians to make their preparations. This storm has the potential to strengthen into a major hurricane, and we encourage all Floridians to make their preparations,” he said in a statement.
