Ottawa | Reuters — Shaggy, long-maned wild horses grazing freely on the sandy grasslands of the crescent-shaped Sable Island in the North Atlantic are expected to come under the swipe of a powerful storm forecast to hit Eastern Canada this weekend.
Hurricane Fiona, tracking northward after carving a destructive path through the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, could be one of the worst storms to hit Atlantic Canada in recent years.
Storms are not uncommon in the region and they typically cross over rapidly, but Fiona is expected to impact a very large area and bring extended periods of stormy weather, Canadian Hurricane Centre meteorologist Bob Robichaud said at a briefing.
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By late Friday morning, Hurricane Fiona was about 970 km south of Halifax, moving north at 56 km/h with maximum sustained winds of 215 km/h, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
When it arrives in Nova Scotia on Saturday morning, Fiona is expected to make landfall as a powerful post-tropical storm bigger than Hurricane Juan in 2003 and stronger than Hurricane Dorian in 2019, Robichaud said.
Dorian had slammed though Halifax as an intense post-tropical storm, knocking down trees, cutting power, and blowing over a large construction crane.
“Where (Fiona) fits in the history books, we’ll have to make that determination after the fact but it is going to be certainly a historic, extreme event for Eastern Canada,” Robichaud said.
Fiona is expected to hit Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island, home to about 135,000 people, or 15 per cent of the province’s population, Environment Canada said on Friday.
A hurricane warning was in effect for most of central and eastern Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. The eye will move across Nova Scotia later on Friday, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence on Saturday and over Labrador on Sunday.
Forecasters say areas close to its path could get up to eight inches of rain, while winds could damage buildings and cause utility outages, with storm surges swamping the coastlines.
Farmers in Nova Scotia have told local media they’re concerned also about the potential damage the storm may bring to crops, including corn and apples.
The country’s two largest carriers, Air Canada and WestJet Airlines, are suspending regional service starting Friday evening.
No natural cover
Off the coast of Nova Scotia is the Sable Island National Park Reserve, a narrow strip of dunes and grasslands managed by Parks Canada. Here roam some 500 Sable Island Horses alongside the world’s biggest breeding colony of grey seals.
All scheduled flights for visitors have been canceled and a small team of officials are prepared to shelter in place on the island, Parks Canada representative Jennifer Nicholson said, adding team members had been busy securing materials and equipment to minimize possible damage.
But the horses, which are not indigenous to the sandbar and are believed to have been brought by European sailors in the 18th century, have practically no natural cover on the isle.
“Over the last two centuries, the horses of Sable Island have adapted remarkably well to their environment. During inclement weather the horses act instinctively and seek shelter in groups in the lee of the dunes for protection,” Nicholson said.
Environment Canada has issued a storm alert for much of Atlantic Canada, along with parts of Quebec.
— Reporting for Reuters by Ismail Shakil in Ottawa. Includes files from Glacier FarmMedia Network staff.
