Storm system bringing heavy rain, thunder
Posted Jul 24, 2012 06:28:47 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The fire risk remains high in Nova Scotia, and a pending rainfall won’t be enough to mitigate the threat.
Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement warning that a low pressure trough will bring heavy rainfall and thunderstorms to most of the province Tuesday.
The entire province is under a fire ban because of recent dry conditions, and News 95.7 meteorologist Richard Zurawski says the incoming precipitation won’t be enough to reduce the threat to more manageable levels.
“This is likely to continue,” Zurawski told the Rick Howe Show. “When I look at the monthly outlooks that Environment Canada puts out for the summer, it’s a blanket of heat and dry conditions right across Canada from west to east and up to the north. They’ve been pretty much spot on this last year.”
Zurawski says he’s expecting between 20 and 30mm of rain today from the same system that prompted tornado warnings in the Ottawa region Monday.
“It’s a very active cold front. The good news is it will moderate by the time it gets here so we’re not likely to get that kind of weather,” said Zurawski.
“But there are imbedded thunderstorms in this cold front,” he added. “As it rolls down through the region, you’re looking at lightning. Of course lightning with a tinder-dry forest is exactly what we don’t want to have.”
A wildfire that broke out near Stewiacke late Monday afternoon was controlled within hours, and no structures were affected.
