Radio Amateurs of Canada continues to monitor Post-tropical Storm Fiona (formerly Hurricane Fiona).
Amateurs are encouraged to monitor local repeaters and the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Centre of Activity frequencies.
If you are in the affected area, please provide updates to the Hurricane Watch Net. Please also continue to monitor alerts issued by the Canadian Hurricane Centre and forecasts issued by Environment Canada.
Jason Tremblay, VE3JXT
RAC Community Services Officer
Environment Canada Tropical Cyclone Information Statement
https://weather.gc.ca/hurricane/statements_e.html
11:53 AM ADT Saturday, September 24, 2022
Environment Canada issued the following statement:
Post-tropical Storm Fiona
1. Summary of basic information at 12:00 p.m. ADT.
Location: 47.5 North 61.2 West.
About 160 kilometres west of Port-aux-Basques.
Maximum sustained winds: 120 kilometres per hour.
Present movement: northeast at 30 kilometres per hour.
Minimum central pressure: 942 millibars
2. Summary of latest information.
Fiona continues to cause hurricane force wind gusts across the southwest coast of Newfoundland and the southeastern Gulf of St. Lawrence Region including the Northumberland Shore of Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, Iles-de-la-Madeleine, and Prince Edward Island. Sustained hurricane force winds are occurring over marine areas near the storm centre.
Damaging storm surge and high waves with pounding surf are causing severe infrastructure damage along the southwest coast of Newfoundland, where Fiona is driving waves in excess of 12 metres onshore. High waves breaking near 10 metres and damaging storm surge is also occurring in Iles-de-la-Madeleine at this time.
Damage from storm surge and high waves with pounding surf continues to be a threat for north facing shorelines in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, including the Northumberland Strait, and northwest facing coastlines in Cape Breton.
The highest water levels are expected near high tide today, however damaging conditions may continue several hours past high tide.
Forecasters: CLEMENTS/MERCER
Please continue to monitor alerts issued by the Canadian Hurricane Centre and forecasts issued by Environment Canada.
Environment Canada Tropical Cyclone Information Statement
2:40 PM ADT Friday September 23, 2022
Environment Canada issued the following statement:
Fiona will impact Atlantic Canada and eastern Quebec with heavy rainfall and powerful hurricane force winds beginning tonight.
1. Summary of basic information at 3:00 p.m. ADT.
Location: 37.7 North 61.8 West.
About 708 kilometres south-southwest of Sable Island.
Maximum sustained winds: 204 kilometres per hour.
Present movement: north-northeast at 61 kilometres per hour.
Minimum central pressure: 936 millibars.
2. Public weather impacts and warnings summary.
This storm will be a severe event for Atlantic Canada and eastern Quebec. Numerous weather models continue to indicate that Fiona will transition into a very powerful post-Tropical storm as it makes landfall in eastern Nova Scotia early Saturday morning. This storm is still on track to produce very heavy rainfall and severe winds.
The latest forecast guidance brings Hurricane Fiona northward across Nova Scotia waters tonight, making landfall near Canso, then passing through western Cape Breton Saturday morning, and then reaching the Quebec Lower North Shore and Southeastern Labrador by early Sunday. Severe winds and rainfall will have major impacts for eastern Prince Edward Island, eastern Nova Scotia, southern and eastern New Brunswick, western Newfoundland, eastern Quebec, and southeastern Labrador. There will also be large waves, especially for the Atlantic coasts of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and eastern portions of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Finally, there is a high likelihood of storm surge for parts of Nova Scotia, the Gulf of St. Lawrence and western Newfoundland.
a. Wind.
Most regions will experience hurricane force winds. These severe winds will begin impacting the region late Friday and will continue on Saturday. Similar cyclones of this nature have produced structural damage to buildings. Construction sites may be particularly vulnerable. Wind impacts will be enhanced by foliage on the trees, potentially causing prolonged and widespread utility outages.
Hurricane and tropical storm warnings are now in effect for most areas. Wind warnings are also in effect from the Atlantic Storm Prediction Centre.
b. Rainfall.
Rainfall will be significant, especially north and west of Fiona’s track, where heavy rain could lead to flooding. The highest rainfall amounts are likely for eastern Nova Scotia, southwestern Newfoundland, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence region. Forecast guidance is suggesting widespread amounts of 100 to 200 mm, but closer to the path of Fiona, more than 200 mm is likely. Some districts have received large quantities of rain recently, and excessive runoff may exacerbate the flooding potential. Road washouts are also possible.
Rainfall warnings are now in effect from the Atlantic Storm Prediction Centre for most of Nova Scotia, PEI, and southeastern New Brunswick.
c. Surge/Waves.
There will be rough and pounding surf, especially for parts of Nova Scotia, the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Newfoundland. Large waves will reach the eastern shore of Nova Scotia from the south tonight and build to more than 10 metres. These waves will reach southern Newfoundland by Saturday morning and could be up to or possibly exceeding 12 metres. Some of the waves over eastern portions of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Cabot Strait could be higher than 12 metres. The western Gulf will see waves from the north up to 8 metres in places, which will probably cause significant erosion for north facing beaches of Prince Edward Island. Iles-de-la-Madeleine will also see some coastal erosion from waves.
Coastal flooding will also be a threat for parts of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island including the Northumberland Strait, the Gulf of St. Lawrence region including Iles-de-la-Madeleine and eastern New Brunswick, and southwest Newfoundland. The highest risk for coastal flooding will be a combination of storm surge with large waves moving onshore. There may also be some coastal flooding for the St. Lawrence Estuary and the Quebec Lower North Shore. For most areas the highest water levels will be near high tide some time on Saturday morning.
Storm Surge warnings have been issued for most of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, southwestern Newfoundland, eastern Nova Scotia and the east coast of New Brunswick. High water level warnings are also now in effect for various Maritime coastlines.
3. Marine weather impacts and warnings summary.
Hurricane force winds will spread into Scotian Slope waters this evening. These winds will persist near the track as Fiona moves northward through the region tonight. Gale to storm force winds will impact most remaining marine waters, including the Halifax Harbour. Waves in excess of 12 metres will form east of the hurricane track.
Forecaster(s): Tirone/March
Please continue to monitor alerts issued by the Canadian Hurricane Centre and forecasts issued by Environment Canada.
Additional links:
Emergency Centre of Activity Frequencies
https://www.iaru-r1.org/index.php/emergency-communications/emergency-communications-frequencies
Canadian Hurricane Centre
https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/hurricane-forecasts-facts.html
Canadian Emergency HR Frequencies
National HF Emergency Communications Frequencies – Radio Amateurs of Canada (rac.ca)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
National Hurricane Center (noaa.gov)
Canadian Emergency Preparedness and Alerts
Public Weather Alerts for Canada – Environment Canada
Hurricane Watch Net
https://hwn.org/
Stay tuned to this website and to our social media sites for more information.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ractweets
September 22:
Environment Canada Tropical Cyclone Information Statement
2:47 PM ADT Thursday September 22, 2022
Environment Canada issued the following statement:
“This storm is shaping up to be a severe event for Atlantic Canada and eastern Quebec. Numerous weather models are quite consistent in their prediction of what we call a deep hybrid low pressure system, possessing both tropical and intense winter storm properties, with very heavy rainfall and severe winds.
The latest forecast guidance brings Hurricane Fiona north towards Nova Scotia waters Friday night, passing through eastern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Saturday, and then reaching the Lower Quebec North Shore and Southeastern Labrador early Sunday. Severe winds and rainfall will have major impacts for eastern Prince Edward Island, eastern Nova Scotia, western Newfoundland, eastern Quebec, and southeastern Labrador. There will also be large waves, especially for the Atlantic coasts of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and eastern portions of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Finally, there is a high likelihood of storm surge for parts of Nova Scotia, the Gulf of St. Lawrence and western Newfoundland.
a. Wind.
Most regions will experience some hurricane force winds. These severe winds will begin impacting the region late Friday and will continue on Saturday. Similar cyclones of this nature have produced structural damage to buildings. Construction sites may be particularly vulnerable. Wind impacts will likely be enhanced by foliage on the trees, potentially causing prolonged and widespread utility outages.
Hurricane and tropical storm watches are now in effect for most areas. Many regions will see these watches upgraded to warnings tonight.
b. Rainfall.
Rainfall will be significant, especially north and west of Fiona’s track, where heavy rain could lead to flooding. The highest rainfall amounts are likely for eastern Nova Scotia, southwestern Newfoundland, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence region. Forecast guidance is suggesting widespread amounts of 100 to 200 mm, but closer to the path of Fiona, more than 200 mm is likely. Some districts have received large quantities of rain recently, and excessive runoff may exacerbate the flooding potential. Road washouts are also possible.
Rainfall warnings are now in affect from the Atlantic Storm Prediction Centre for most of Nova Scotia, PEI, and southeastern New Brunswick.
c. Surge/Waves.
There will be some rough and pounding surf, especially for parts of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Large waves will reach the eastern shore of Nova Scotia from the south on Friday night and build to more than 10 metres. These waves will likely reach southern Newfoundland by Saturday morning. Some of the waves over eastern portions of the Gulf of St. Lawrence could be higher than 12 metres. The western Gulf will see waves from the north up to 8 metres in places, which will probably cause significant erosion for north facing beaches of Prince Edward Island. Iles-de-la-Madeleine will also see some coastal erosion from waves.
Coastal flooding will also be a threat for parts of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island including the Northumberland Strait, the Gulf of St. Lawrence region including Iles-de-la-Madeleine and eastern New Brunswick, and southwest Newfoundland. The highest risk for coastal flooding will be a combination of storm surge with large waves moving onshore. There may also be some coastal flooding for the St. Lawrence Estuary and the Quebec Lower North Shore. For most areas the highest water levels will be near high tide some time on Saturday morning.
3. Marine weather impacts and warnings summary.
Hurricane force winds will spread into Scotian Slope waters Friday evening, and these winds will persist near the track as Fiona moves northward through the region. Gale to storm force winds will impact most remaining marine waters. Waves in excess of 12 metres should form east of the hurricane track.
Forecaster(s): Roch/March
Please continue to monitor alerts issued by the Canadian Hurricane Centre and forecasts issued by Environment Canada.”
Bulletin Wednesday, September 21:
Radio Amateurs of Canada continues to monitor Hurricane Fiona, which continues to track northeast with sustained winds of 165 kilometres per hour. The track currently shows the affected area could include parts of Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued an Advisory at 11 am EDT this morning, Wednesday, September 21 which states:
“1. Hurricane conditions are possible, and tropical conditions are expected, on Bermuda by late Thursday.
2. Fiona is expected to affect portions of Atlantic Canada as a powerful hurricane-force cyclone late Friday and Saturday, and could produce significant impacts from high winds, storm surge, and heavy rainfall. Interests in these areas should closely monitor the progress of Fiona and updates to the forecast.”
Environment Canada issued the following Tropical Cyclone Information Statement earlier today:
Environment Canada Tropical Cyclone
Information Statement
Wednesday September, 21, 2022 – 7:59 AM ADT
Forecaster: Fogarty/Clements/Couturier.
“Hurricane Fiona is expected to impact Atlantic Canada starting Friday, and continuing into the weekend.
This storm is shaping up to be a potentially severe event for Atlantic Canada. Numerous weather models are quite consistent in their prediction of what we call a deep hybrid low pressure system, possessing both tropical and intense winter storm-type properties (but with very heavy rainfall and severe winds).
Currently the range of uncertainty with regard to the centre of the low when it approaches late Friday or Saturday is approximately a 600 to 700 kilometre wide zone (‘cone of uncertainty’) centred over Cape Breton with a broad coverage of hurricane-force winds including over land. This is the most likely scenario as we see it now, regardless of meteorological classification of ‘Hurricane’, or ‘Post-Tropical Storm’ Fiona at that time.
Since we expect the storm to become very large, the impacts will be multi-provincial. Specifics in terms of winds, rainfall, waves and storm surge will be described in increasing detail here beginning this afternoon.
Again, this storm certainly has the potential to be quite severe – we suggest to check forecast updates at least daily for important information regarding the trend in our analysis of what to expect. Please continue to monitor alerts issued by the Canadian Hurricane Centre and forecasts issued by Environment Canada.”
Operators are encouraged to monitor local repeaters and the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Centre of Activity frequencies.
If you are in the affected area, please provide updates to the Hurricane Watch Net. Please also continue to monitor alerts issued by the Canadian Hurricane Centre and forecasts issued by Environment Canada.
Jason Tremblay, VE3JXT
RAC Community Services Officer