The South Shore Regional Centre for Education closed all schools Monday morning. Reynolds Pharmasave in Liverpool and the Queens County Museum closed for the day. Some other businesses and organizations remained open.
Environment Canada is predicting continued blowing snow in the afternoon and wind chill of up to -10 Celsius, with temperatures dropping further overnight.
Environment Canada satellite image of Hurricane Lee tracking towards Nova Scotia
Nova Scotians are once again preparing to weather the storm as Hurricane Lee bares down on the province.
Officials at Environment Canada are predicting Lee will make landfall somewhere between Southwest Nova Scotia and Southern New Brunswick on Saturday.
Lee will enter the region as a category 1 hurricane, diminishing to a tropical storm then a post tropical low as it makes landfall somewhere between Shelburne, NS and Grand Manan Island in NB.
Queens County is included in the hurricane watch which could see the slow-moving storm dump heavy rains up to 100mm and blow gusts of wind up to 120km/h.
Gale Storm warnings have been issued for southwestern marine areas beginning Friday bringing waves 15 to 20 feet (4-6 metres) high.
Closure announcements began Thursday morning.
Nova Scotia Provincial Parks are being closed at 1pm Friday, day use parks will close at 7pm.
Kejimkujik National Park is closing beginning Friday at noon. All reservations between the nights of Sep 15-19 are cancelled and campers will receive a refund. Park officials say an update on reopening will be provided Monday.
Many local events are also being postponed. Anyone with plans for Saturday in to Sunday should contact organizers to find out if the event is being rescheduled.
The Regional Emergency Management Organization advises everyone to be prepared to shelter in place for 72 hours.
That includes ensuring there’s enough food and water on hand to last three days for the entire household, including pets. People should gather batteries, flashlights and radios and charge electronics. Keep a list of all medications, gather irreplaceable items such as photo albums and make copies of important documents like insurance policies, deeds and titles.
An emergency preparedness checklist and many other helpful tips are available on the Region of Queens web page. Head to regionofqueens.com and click on the emergency measures tab at the top.
Environment Canada is continuing to track the path of Hurricane Lee and will be providing regular updates as it edges closer to the Maritimes.
To hear the broadcast of this story click play below.
Bob Robichaud, Meteorologist, Environment and Climate Change Canada. Screen capture from Communications Nova Scotia Zoom conference Aug 24, 2023
The province is warning Nova Scotians now is the time to prepare for an active hurricane season.
Officials from Environment Canada, Nova Scotia Power, the Red Cross and the province’s Emergency Management Office gathered together Thursday to announce an information campaign designed to inform Nova Scotians on how to ready themselves for the upcoming season.
Meteorologist Bob Robichaud says the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting 14 to 21 named storms, six to 10 hurricanes and two to five major hurricanes before the end of the year.
Robichaud says those numbers are higher than initially predicted in May and include storm activity across the entire Atlantic Ocean.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean that a lot of those storms will approach Atlantic Canada or have any kind of impact on Nova Scotia but we always have to be ready for that one or two storms that might impact us,” said Robichaud.
As an example, Robichaud pointed to Hurricane Fiona and the damage it caused in September of 2022.
Robichaud was asked about Hurricane Franklin and says it is currently about 1,200km southwest of Bermuda, tracking northeast. It’s expected to reach category 2 status as it moves north over the weekend.
As of Thursday, modelling shows the hurricane will track south of Nova Scotia but Robichaud says even if it does turn towards the province it won’t be anywhere close to the power of Fiona.
He encourages people to follow trusted weather forecasting sites to get information about impending storms.
Operations Manager with the Canadian Red Cross of Nova Scotia, Ancel Langille says it’s important for families to have an emergency plan and kit ready ahead of storm season.
“Your kit should include things that will make a stay away from home more comfortable for you and your family,” said Langille. “Things like clothing, medications, if you have children some toys and games, if you have pets prepare a kit for them as well with the leash, some food, water, medications for them, a pet carrier [is] something great to have on hand. If you have a vehicle, make sure it’s full of gas before the storm arrives and it’s always great to have some cash on hand.”
Langille added if there is time, it’s a good idea to take photos or videos of the rooms of your house before you need to evacuate so you have a record to provide to your insurance company.
John Lohr, the minister responsible for emergency management in Nova Scotia says the province works closely with municipalities through the provincial control centre in times of emergency.
Lohr says the province is preparing for the upcoming Hurricane Season.
“And I would like to encourage all Nova Scotians to take some time now before a storm or weather warning is issued to our region to do the same,” said Lohr. “Before an event happens is a good time to sit down with your family and talk things over, check to see what may need to be done around your house or cottage make a plan and prepare.”
The province will be running an information campaign across social and traditional media over the next four weeks.
Updates and tips from Nova Scotia’s emergency management office are available at their website: https://novascotia.ca/Alerts
Screen shot of the path Hurricane Fiona will take as it approaches Nova Scotia. From Environment Canada web page
Department of Natural Resources and Parks Canada officials are taking no chances despite expectations Hurricane Fiona will be downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it makes landfall in Nova Scotia,
As Hurricane Fiona bares down on Nova Scotia officials with Parks Canada have decided to temporarily close Kejimkujik Park effective at noon Friday, September 23.
Anyone camping or visiting the site is being asked to leave and no one will be permitted to enter after that time.
The measures include the entire park and historic site as well as Kejimkujik Seaside in Port Joli.
Guests with bookings between Sep 23- 26 will be contacted, their reservations cancelled, and fees fully refunded.
To ensure the safety of all visitors Parks Canada officials say the closure will remain in place until conditions are safe.
The public will be updated on park conditions again on Tuesday, September 27 at noon.
Later Thursday morning the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources followed suit and announced all provincial parks would be closing Friday at noon as well.
Parks will be reopened once officials have assessed any damage and addressed safety concerns.
As of Thursday morning, Environment Canada predicts Hurricane Fiona will transform into a post tropical storm bringing very heavy rain and strong to severe wind gusts beginning Friday afternoon with the heaviest rain and wind peaking overnight into Saturday.
They are advising the public the storm has the potential to produce severe and damaging wind gusts, very high waves and coastal storm surge, and intense rainfall.
Officials from the province’s Emergency Management Office are urging all Nova Scotians to monitor local weather forecasts and be ready for the storm’s arrival by ensuring they have enough food and water for 72 hours and preparing their storm kits.
The basic checklist includes:
— having enough food and water for 72 hours
— monitoring local media outlets for updates
— securing gates, doors and windows
— moving yard furniture and securing trash cans, hanging plants and anything that can be picked up by wind
— checking radio batteries
— filling vehicles with gas and parking them away from trees
— keeping pets inside
— moving any type of watercraft to high ground
— ensuring personal and family safety
— checking on neighbours
— not leaving candles unattended.
It appears a burn ban in place across Nova Scotia will remain in effect for the near future.
According to a spokesperson from the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables, drought-like conditions over the past two weeks have left the forest floor extremely dry.
Wildfire Prevention Officer Kara McCurdy says due to a combination of high temperatures and wind and low humidity the smallest spark could set off a forest fire.
“Don’t have any fires period, whether it be campfire or brush burning. Being careful where you place anything hot. Like, if you’re welding, don’t weld in dry vegetation. If you’re running an all-terrain vehicle that you make sure to clear the exhaust off frequently because stuff accumulates around that and can get hot and drop,” said McCurdy. “Even camping, if you’re walking in the woods don’t discard any cigarettes, don’t play with matches or lighters.”
Environment Canada has issued an extreme heat warning for Nova Scotia and is forecasting temperatures into the high 20s until next week.
There is a chance of showers over that time, however, McCurdy says they likely won’t be enough to lower the fire hazard.
“But it’s not enough to really impact wetting the fuels down in the forest,” We’ll probably leave the ban in place until we get significant rain, which is a continued amount of rain of 20mm plus.
McCurdy says a few days of steady rain is key to preventing forest fires.
“A lot of the rain that comes from thunder cells will just quickly run off,” said McCurdy. “The ground is so hard now from being dry for so long that it’s just going to drain off really quick.”
McCurdy says there have been seven new forest fires of varying sizes across Nova Scotia over the past week.
Several of those are the result of campfires being left unattended or from people clearing their properties by burning the brush.
Crews are working to get a 1-hectare fire in Cumberland County under control.
She says people need to pay attention to the burn ban to safeguard the forests, their property, fire crews and themselves against fire.
Burn restrictions are updated on the novascotia.ca/burnsafe web page everyday at 2:00pm.
Nova Scotians are battening down the hatches ahead of Hurricane Teddy’s arrival.
Environment Canada expects Teddy will diminish to a tropical storm by the time it touches down in our province sometime Tuesday afternoon.
They warn winds could reach speeds of 65km/h gusting up to 80 to 100km/h over exposed areas and along the coast. Heavy rainfall is also expected which could cause flooding and Teddy could dump between 50 and 100mm over the central and eastern parts of the province. Coastal residents will also need to be prepared for storm surges.
Region of Queens mayor David Dagley says municipal crews have been out preparing for the storm.
“They will check the storm drains to make sure that they’re not blocked so that any rain would be able to drain away,” said Dagley. “They’ll collect or remove or secure items that may blow in the wind and become a hazard.”
Dagley says staff will also be keeping a close eye out for storm surges along the Mersey river.
“Our staff will be vigilant and they will block off access to the waterfront parking area and waterfront road such as Henry Hennessey drive so we can ensure that vehicles aren’t parked there if we get a storm surge,” said Dagley.
In a release, Nova Scotia’s Emergency Management Office asks people to check on their neighbours, to see if they need any supplies. They note this is especially important for the elderly or vulnerable. They also want Nova Scotians to make sure anything that can be picked up by the wind such as yard furniture, trash cans, hanging plants or other equipment or structures are taken inside or secured.
Dagley adds people should be prepared with a storm kit that can get them through 72 hours.
“We always ask that they have potable water, drinking water, that they have flashlights, they have a battery powered radio, they have some food staples that don’t require electricity to become nourishment,” said Dagley.
Tropical Storm Teddy is expected to move away from Nova Scotia by Thursday night. However, another period of strong winds is possible Wednesday morning over easternmost sections of Nova Scotia.
Mayor Dagley says the Region of Queens will be providing updates on their website, through social media and over the radio as the storm passes through the area.
