Leslie bringing heavy rains to Halifax
Posted Sep 10, 2012 06:15:37 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Weather watchers are predicting heavy rains for Halifax today as tropical storm Leslie moves through the Maritimes.
The storm was a path to make landfall in Newfoundland Tuesday. However the massive weather system, measuring at about 800 km in diameter, means it’s being felt in several provinces.
Environment Canada has issued a rainfall warning for Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island, predicting as much as 150 mm of rain in 36 hours.
News 95.7 meteorologist Richard Zurawski says Halifax will see intense periods of rain.
“The next 12 hours are pretty much when we’re going to be getting the rain,” said Zuawski Monday morning. “Total rainfall amounts could be 100 mm by the time it’s all through. That’s about four inches. And it will be coming down in imbedded thunderstorms. That means there could be some very heavy downpours.”
Zurawski argues the storm will not be much of a wind event with wind speeds reaching 50 to 60 km/hour in the Halifax area.
The Canadian Hurricane Centre however, reports wind speeds could reach 100 km/h when the storm makes landfall, north of Nova Scotia, Tuesday.
“It’s looking quite likely it will cross land somewhere in Newfoundland, but the storm is so large that the heaviest impact area is going to be well away from that centre landfall position,” explained Chris Fogarty on Maritime Morning Sunday.
Fogarty is also predicting Leslie could regain her hurricane status sometime Monday, but he could not say if it will maintain that status for its arrival in Atlantic Canada.
The centre is also watching the small, category 2 hurricane Michael. Hurricane forecasters believe Leslie will likely push it northward out of the area.
