Hurricane Erin will likely impact coastal areas

A strengthened Hurricane Erin pelted parts of the Caribbean and is expected to create dangerous surf and rip currents along the U.S. eastern coast this week.

Hurricane Erin is not expected to make landfall in Canada, according to modelling from Environment Canada’s Canadian Hurricane Centre.

“However, it is likely to bring heavy wave activity to offshore waters and also to the south-facing Atlantic coastlines of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland Friday and/or Saturday,” the Canadian Hurricane Centre warned in an online statement.

The Category 4 storm is currently near the Bahamas after lashing parts of the Caribbean with heavy rains and strong winds over the weekend.

While the hurricane is not anticipated to make landfall in Canada, coastal areas are still likely to face effects such as rip currents and high surf as the storm approaches the Atlantic provinces on Friday or Saturday, potentially posing a danger to swimmers.

“There are still likely to be some impacts from the storm over parts of Eastern Canada despite it not making landfall,” Canadian Hurricane Centre meteorologist Ian Hubbard told CTVNews.ca. “Along the south-facing coasts of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, some heavier surf is possible later this week. Eastern Newfoundland could still see some rain or wind on Friday or Saturday.”

Retired Environment Canada climatologist David Phillips says Erin is the “first major hurricane of what is predicted to be an active tropical storm season.”

“An indirect effect of Erin is that the storm might affect the ridge of high pressure which has given us the warm dry summer we have had in the East,” Phillips told CTVNews.ca. “The atmospheric circulation may be scrambled by Erin’s presence and we might see a return to more typical August-September weather for the end of summer.”

The hurricane is currently expected to dissipate over the north Atlantic on Saturday.