- CBC News will have digital updates on Fiona throughout the weekend. A special extended edition of Atlantic Tonight at 7pm on Saturday and 6pm on Sunday will include comprehensive coverage of Hurricane Fiona and its aftermath across the region.
Tens of thousands of Maritime Electric customers are without power in PEI as Fiona passes through the region.
According to Environment Canada, a hurricane warning is in place for all three counties of PEI and the nearby Magdalen Islands, with Category 1 winds and torrential rain expected.
As of 7 a.m. Saturday, more than 82,000 customers in PEI were without power, according to Maritime Electric’s outage map. Outages are widespread across the island, but are particularly concentrated in the Charlottetown area and Kings County.
Maritime Electric has about 86,000 total customers, according to its website.
Satellite image of Fiona taken by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Saturday. (NOAA)
Environment Canada expects Kings County to see the most rain, with Queens and Kings counties likely to experience the worst winds.
In Nova Scotia, there are more than 410,000 homes without power.
Maritime Electric spokesperson Kim Griffin told CBC News crews were able to restore power to some homes Friday night, but it was knocked out again. Charlottetown police had said on Twitter around 1 a.m. that the company had pulled equipment off the roads until conditions improved.
Griffin said Maritime Electric has more than 55 crew members, more than it had for Post-Tropical Storm Dorian. But he added that they will not be able to make an assessment until Fiona passes the Island.
On Friday, the company said some customers could still be without power on Sunday.
“As soon as we can safely get out, we’ll get out and assess that damage as quickly as we can,” Griffin said. “We want [Islanders] stay home as safe as possible right now and ride out the storm in a safe place.”
The conditions are like nothing we’ve ever seen. We are taking reports of downed trees and wires, but will only respond to emergency calls. -Dispatcher Kelly ☎️ pic.twitter.com/gX7YPTPDSN
—@ChtownPolice
“Like nothing we’ve ever seen”
Charlottetown police said early Saturday that the city’s public works had also removed the equipment. Police said there were several reports of downed trees, power lines and blocked roads.
“The conditions are like nothing we’ve ever seen,” he said on Twitter. “We are taking reports of downed trees and wires, but will only respond to emergency calls.”
Tanya Mullally of the provincial Emergency Management Organization said Saturday morning that while it is too early for EMO to have received any formal reports, they have been monitoring social media for damage.
“The storm surge is affecting the north side right now pretty significantly, so we’re seeing reports of water at the docks … where we have tide gauges,” he said.
“We know there’s damage out there and it’s pretty broad and pretty extensive. Power is out, I’d say almost 95 percent across the province.”
Provincial dispatchers said the province has no vehicles on the roads and would only listen to EMS or first responders if asked, which had not happened at 3am.
Dispatchers in Queens and Kings County say they are getting many reports of downed trees.
Fiona lands in NS
This screenshot from Maritime Electric’s website shows a map of the company’s customers without power at 5:10 a.m. Saturday. (Maritime electricity)
The Canadian Hurricane Center said at 3:39 a.m. the storm had made landfall in eastern Nova Scotia between Canso and Guysborough.
CBC meteorologist Ryan Snoddon said the storm approached that province at 64 km/h but had slowed significantly as it arrived. Snoddon said this will be a long-lasting event for PEI and eastern Nova Scotia.
The Center had declared Fiona to have upgraded from a hurricane to a post-tropical cyclone shortly after midnight.
CBC meteorologist Jay Scotland said Fiona’s transition to a post-tropical storm would not mean it is weaker, but that its structure is changing. He said the storm would be similar to an intense northeaster, but with heavy rain and the ability to generate hurricane-force winds.
Island seeing gusts of 100 km/h
Wind gusts in PEI starting at 4:15am AT (Jay Scotland/CBC)
PEI has been under severe weather warnings since Friday, with Environment Canada warning of heavy rain, localized flooding, flash flooding, dangerous wind gusts and higher than normal water levels.
As of 4:44 AM Environment Canada predicted:
- Winds between 90 km/h with gusts of 120 km/h and up to 150 km/h over exposed areas in Kings and Queens counties. Winds of 70 km/h with gusts of 100-120 km/h are expected in Prince County. Environment Canada predicted light winds later this afternoon or early evening.
- A storm surge with maximum waves of between 6 and 8 metres, breaking as it approaches the coast.
- Total rainfall ranges from 50 to 125 mm, with local amounts possibly exceeding 150 mm. Heavy rain is expected to continue in the afternoon.
Parts of central and eastern PEI have already received 50-80mm of rain by early Saturday morning.
Dispatchers in Queens and Kings County say they are getting many reports of downed trees. (Mitch Cormier/CBC)
The Canadian hurricane center said around midnight that the highest wind gusts were on Beaver Island, Nova Scotia, at 152 km/h.
An emergency alert was issued around 7 a.m. reminding islanders to stay indoors in a safe place and away from windows and doors due to extreme winds.
As of 2:30 a.m., East Point in PEI had recorded peak winds of 140 km/h, while Charlottetown, Summerside, St. Peters and North Cape were seeing gusts in excess of 100 km/h. Scotland said winds may increase further within hours.
Peak wind gusts in PEI starting Saturday at 2:30 am (Jay Scotland/CBC)
Environment Canada was blunt about the potential impact of the storm in its hurricane warning.
“These winds could cause significant tree fall and result in extended utility outages. Damage to building cladding and roofing material, including structural damage in certain cases, is likely. Winds from ‘this force could cause windows to shatter and large road signs to break.’
The warning also said Fiona “will cause damage to piers and breakwaters. Significant coastal erosion and large waves are expected where onshore winds blow.”
People who must venture outdoors during the storm are warned to be aware of wind debris and downed power lines, among other hazards.
Countless reports of downed power lines and large trees down making numerous roads impassable throughout the city. It’s not safe to be on the roads. We will continue to share photos of Fiona’s impact. -Dispatcher Kelly ☎️ pic.twitter.com/1S5F3sXTQu
—@ChtownPolice
Residents are warned to stay away from the coast due to the risk of large waves and dangerous currents.
Islanders living in the North Shore area whose properties have experienced storm surge and flooding in the past were warned to seek higher ground if possible, with the possibility of north-facing windows blowing out or debris break them.
Closer image of the fallen tree. I would also like to add that I was able to get my photos from my door. I would not recommend venturing into this storm. pic.twitter.com/p41WdfG8SL
— @TonyDavisCBC
The province plans to establish an online and telephone reporting tool for islanders to report damage to critical infrastructure such as roads and bridges starting Sunday. Blocked or damaged roads can be reported by calling 511 or these numbers, the province said in a statement.
Travel impacts
At 12:45 p.m., the Confederation Bridge was closed to all traffic until the weather situation changed. The bridge previously said it expected the restrictions to affect traffic on the bridge until early Sunday.
Northumberland Ferries has canceled all crossings on Saturday and the company also expects disruption on Sunday.
For more information on what outages are being announced due to the storm, click here: Hurricane Fiona: What’s open and closed in PEI