Hurricane Fiona is causing massive waves as it approaches Bermuda, where weather conditions are expected to deteriorate on Thursday before the storm heads towards Atlantic Canada.
Fiona’s northward march comes after the storm ravaged Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands, where many residents are still without power or water days after Fiona struck.
A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Saildrone recorded “significant” waves of up to 50 feet in the Atlantic on Thursday.
A hurricane warning is in effect for Bermuda as Fiona, a Category 4 hurricane, approaches, according to the National Hurricane Center. Hurricane conditions are expected in Bermuda from Thursday night into Friday morning, causing high coastal water levels, possible power outages and about two to four inches of rain, the center said.
As of Thursday afternoon, Fiona was 345 miles southwest of Bermuda with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph and moving north-northeast at 16 mph, the center said. The storm is expected to pass west of the island Thursday night before approaching the Canadian province of Nova Scotia on Friday.
Hurricane Fiona takes aim at Atlantic Canada
Although the storm is expected to weaken on Friday, Fiona is still expected to be “a large and powerful post-tropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds” by the time it reaches Canada, according to the National Hurricane Centre.
A hurricane watch has been issued for parts of Atlantic Canada, including Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, the Magdalen Islands and the coast of Newfoundland, according to the centre.
Those areas are expected to see three to six inches of rain with local highs of up to 10 inches, causing potentially significant flooding, according to the center’s forecast.
Atlantic Canada is expected to “bear the brunt of Hurricane Fiona’s impacts this weekend” with some areas at risk of “extreme damage”. AccuWeather said.
“Fiona will cause widespread power outages from strong winds, flooding from torrential rain and isolated storm surge, and massive seas along the coast and Gulf of St. Lawrence,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Brett Anderson.
SEE PEOPLE, PLACES IMPACTS:Hurricane Fiona floods homes and streets in Puerto Rico
Invest 98L tropical system under development
“This is the most significant threat to the continental US that we’ve had this hurricane season,” said AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter.
Most computer models predict that the system, Invest 98L, will be a tropical storm by the weekend in the Caribbean. Models show the system strengthening into a hurricane early next week. If it becomes a named storm, it would be called Hermine. Read more here.
— Doyle Rice, USA TODAY
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Hurricane Wind Speeds:What is the hurricane wind speed scale? Breaking down how we classify storms.
Many Puerto Ricans are left without water, food, medicine
Days after Fiona hit Puerto Rico, more than a million people were without power Wednesday, said Keith Turi, FEMA’s deputy administrator for recovery. And the Puerto Rico Water and Sewer Authority said about 45 percent of its customers were still without water service.
More than 1,000 people were in shelters early Wednesday, said Brad Kieserman, Red Cross vice president of operations and logistics.
Some health facilities were running on generators and a cancer hospital had to move patients because of power problems, said Alexandra Lúgaro, 41, executive director of the nonprofit Foundation for Strategic Innovation Center of Puerto Rico and former gubernatorial candidate. Read more here.
— Kevin Crowe, USA TODAY
Puerto Rico struggles to reach isolated areas
After destroying roads and bridges and triggering mudslides, Fiona has left hundreds of Puerto Ricans stranded as authorities work with faith-based groups and nonprofits to reach areas cut off by the storm to provide food, water and vital medicines
At least six municipalities have areas cut off by the storm, estimated Nino Correa, commissioner of Puerto Rico’s emergency management agency.
Contributor: The Associated Press
Contact News Now Reporter Christine Fernando a cfernando@usatoday.com or follow her on Twitter at @christinetfern.
