TORONTO -- As the remnants of Hurricane Laura move out of the United States, Environment and Climate Change Canada says the system will bring much needed rain to parts of the country.
Drought conditions have intensified in eastern Quebec and across much of the Maritimes this summer. The dry conditions across the Maritimes have even forced some farms to conserve their water supply and reduce their crop irrigation schedule.
Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips suggests that the remnants of Hurricane Laura could help improve conditions.
“Sometimes some good can come from hurricanes,” Phillips told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview. “The winds don't bring any good, but the rains can reverse long dry periods.”
According to the federal government’s latest Agroclimate National Risk Report, the most significant climate-related risk to agriculture in Canada is drought and abnormally warm conditions in the Maritimes.
The Canadian Drought Monitor indicates that many parts of New Brunswick and P.E.I are experiencing a severe drought while most of Nova Scotia is considered to be abnormally dry.
“It’s a worrisome situation in Atlantic Canada because they’ve had such little rain [...] you want to have a balance of weather,” Phillips said. “This is a God-send for anybody that depends on water, like farmers and firefighters.”
Phillips suggests that the incoming rainfall from Laura will not only benefit agriculture systems in the east, but will also help to prevent potential forest fires.
Fire crews continued to battle several wildfires across Nova Scotia on Saturday.
“Rain keeps the grass and forest litter wet so fires can’t start up,” he said.
Torrential rains were felt over southwestern Ontario on Friday night and into Saturday morning, as Laura crossed the northern U.S.
“When we look at this clearly, we can see the storm is not like [Hurricane] Dorian which created havoc over Nova Scotia last year,” Phillips said. “ This could turn out to be good news.”
Environment Canada has announced a special weather alert for Nova Scotia and parts of Newfoundland and Labrador. Up to 50 millimetres of rain are expected, lasting until Sunday night. Residents have been warned that heavy rain could lead to significant water pooling on roadways and minor flooding in low lying areas.
The death toll from Hurricane Laura is now at 16 in the U.S. Laura was a Category 4 storm when it made landfall in Louisiana on Thursday.
Hundreds of thousands across the state are without power and water service.
