Forecast for Ernesto puts hurricane in Canadian waters by Monday, with track unclear
CTV
The long-term forecast for Hurricane Ernesto has it moving southeast of Nova Scotia by Monday, but the Canadian Hurricane Centre says it's still unclear how the storm will impact the Atlantic region.
The long-term forecast for Hurricane Ernesto has it moving southeast of Nova Scotia by Monday, but the Canadian Hurricane Centre says it's still unclear how the storm will impact the Atlantic region.
Thursday morning's forecast by the agency in Halifax said the storm is expected to hit Bermuda on Saturday as a Category 3 hurricane, generating powerful winds and large ocean swell. Those high seas will begin arriving along the Atlantic coast on Saturday and grow through the weekend, the federal agency said.
Chris Fogarty, a meteorologist with the centre, said in an interview that with four and a half days until the storm's arrival in Canadian waters, "there is rather large uncertainty still."
"What is certain though is there will be heavy surf along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia. The beaches will be active with heavy surf," he said, adding that beachgoers should be cautious about riptides and powerful waves.
However, he said the centre of Ernesto is forecast to be south of Nova Scotia as it travels northeast, but added that it's too early to know if the province will be hit by high winds and rain from the outer edge of the storm.
The forecast says there is a "slightly greater possibility" of Ernesto influencing weather over southeastern Newfoundland, and the agency is suggesting offshore oil facilities should "certainly pay attention to this storm."
Fogarty said the jet stream appears likely to "steer the storm in an offshore direction .... That's the way it looks at this stage."
