Hurricane Gonzalo is accelerating towards Newfoundland and could make landfall in the southeastern tip of the province Sunday morning, the Canadian Hurricane Centre said Friday.
Gonzalo is expected to slowly weaken to a tropical storm by the time it passes Nova Scotia, but there is still potential for storm-related damage.
The centre said that Newfoundland’s Avalon Region could see flooding as the storm's arrival may coincide with high tide, warning that the combination could bring storm surges in Cape Race and Trepassey.
"The timing will be critical. High tide is early around 5 a.m. on Sunday. If the storm arrives around that time there could be more flooding issues from surge and waves," forecaster Chris Fogarty told a news conference in Halifax Friday.
Fogarty said while there is uncertainty about how strong the winds will be over the Avalon, it's very likely there will be strong waves hitting the southeastern shores with up to 75 millimetres of rain.
"It's a very fast-moving system --- the heavy rain that they get in the Avalon Peninsula will be quite short-lived, but it could be very intense over a two- or three-hour period early Sunday," he said.
Authorities warn residents to prepare for power outages
Power officials and relief agencies have been cautioning people to be prepared. Newfoundland Labrador Hydro Vice-President Rob Henderson advised Maritimers to monitor the hydro website and Twitter page for regular tips and updates.
“They should have prepared in their house food and batteries charged, flashlights --- their cars filled with gas,” he told CTV News Atlantic.
Gonzalo may cause disruption offshore as well. Very high winds are expected on the Grand Banks, which could have implications for the fisheries and offshore oil industry.
Fogarty said the area around the Hibernia oil field --- site of the world’s largest offshore oil platform located about 315 kilometres southeast of St. John's, may experience Category 2-type winds between 154 and 177 km/h. Waves reaching heights of between 12 and 15 metres are also forecast in the Northern Grand Banks.
"The area of the highest winds are right now most likely to spread over the Hibernia oil areas. We've been closely co-ordinating with the offshore oil sector --- talking with them about the details of these extreme winds that will occur there," he said.
The Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia can also expect high ocean swells as the storm races through North Atlantic waters, the hurricane centre said.
As of Friday afternoon, hurricane Gonzalo was a Category 3 storm packing sustained winds of 185 km/h and battering Bermuda’s coast with high waves, driving rain and gusting winds, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.
With Files from the Canadian Press
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