Hurricane Fiona is forecast to slam into Canada on Saturday — and the way it’s going, it could be the most powerful storm ever to hit the country.
Chris Fogarty, a meteorologist for Canada’s hurricane center, told CNN that “this could be Canada’s version of (Hurricane) Sandy.”
Hurricane Sandy, the deadliest hurricane of the 2012 season, wrought devastation across eight countries, causing nearly $70 billion in damage and killing 233 people.
As Fiona approaches, Nova Scotians are preparing themselves for severe wind gusts, coastal storm surges, dangerous rainfall and prolonged power outages.
“Fiona is projected to be a significant and historical weather event for Nova Scotia,” said John Lohr, the minister responsible for the provincial Emergency Management Office, in an official update on Thursday.
“It has the potential to be very dangerous. Impacts are projected to be felt across the province. Every Nova Scotian should be preparing today,” he added.
Fiona strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 130 mph early on Wednesday morning. By yesterday, according to Accuweather, it was about 455 miles southwest of Bermuda and moving north-northeast at 13 mph. The hurricane is forecast to brush past Bermuda as a Category 3 storm, and it’s hoped that the dangerous eye of the storm will remain to the west of the islands.
“Once Fiona passes by Bermuda, the storm is forecast to impact Nova Scotia by Saturday afternoon. Fiona will become extratropical before impact, but this will do little to hinder the damage that Fiona will cause,” CNN Meteorologist Robert Shackelford said.
