Hurricane Earl (2)

Earl moves into Nova Scotia
Hurricane moves east packing heavy rain, strong winds
By BEVERLEY WARE South Shore Bureau and THE CANADIAN PRESS | UPDATED 10:30 a.m.
Sat, Sep 4 - 4:54 AM

Frances Robinson and her son, Jeremy Rotundo, 14, prepare to take flight from approaching hurriciane Earl, while the two surveyed the wind, rain and waves at the Cape Forchu Lighthouse near Yarmouth on Saturday. (TIM KROCHAK / Staff)

The scene at about 9 a.m. today at Mahone Bay as Earl marched toward the province. (ANDREW WAUGH)


At a media briefing on Friday, Chris Fogarty, program supervisor for the Canadian Hurricane Centre, points to a map that outlines hurricane Earl’s predicted wind speeds. The darkest areas are where the strongest winds will be felt. Earl is expected to bring wind and gusts in excess of 100 kilomet







Hurricane Earl slightly diminished in strength overnight but shifted to make landfall in the St. Margarets Bay area near Halifax, threatening to topple trees and down power lines as the storm barrelled through the Maritimes.

The storm, which forecasters called a marginal hurricane, brought strong winds and periodic sheets of rain throughout parts of Nova Scotia on Saturday morning.

``It's weakened a little,'' said Bill Appleby of the Canadian Hurricane Centre. ``One thing that's changed overnight is we actually have a little bit more of a defined eye.''

Appleby said that meant winds around the centre of the storm won't weaken as much as initially expected, fuelled in part by air and sea temperatures warmer than normal.

He said Earl was expected to make landfall in the early afternoon in the St. Margarets Bay area, west of Halifax, before curving up towards Pictou County in central Nova Scotia and Cape Breton.


» CLICK HERE for Canadian Hurricane Centre information
» CLICK HERE for U.S. National Hurricane Center
» CLICK HERE for complete coverage of tropical storm Earl
» WATCH VIDEO: Earl's progress
» CLICK HERE for power outage information
» CLICK HERE for Emergency Management Office website

Power outages were spreading across southern Nova Scotia, including Halifax, and the Annapolis Valley as the storm progressed.

Forecasters warned that signs, tree branches and utility lines could be knocked down, causing further power failures.


Nova Scotians started feeling Hurricane Earl's affects by 9 a.m. today, as a band of rains and high wind gusts moved in.
About 27,000 customers lost their power from Bridgewater through to pockets in Halifax as a result of high winds, the Nova Scotia Power website said. At about 11 a.m., more than 42,000 Nova Scotians were without power.


High waves and concerns for stormwatchers' safety prompted the RCMP to close off roads to Peggys Cove and Lawrencetown Beach as authorities feared people could be swept away.

Teeming rain was making travelling very difficult in and around metro Halifax, as several streets started to fill up with water.

The Halifax-Dartmouth Bridge Commission barred tall-sided vehicles from the MacKay Bridge and also restricted cyclists and pedestrians from crossing the Macdonald Bridge, a commission spokesman said.

There was a report of a downed tree on Connolly Street in central Halifax and also a report that a gas truck had gone off Prospect Road.

Halifax Stanfield International Airport was also cancelling several flights. Travellers were advised to check the website for updates.

Emergency officials say the worst is over in Yarmouth and Queens counties.


Retired fisherman Clifford D'Entremont pulled up to the parking area at Lower West Pubnico's wind turbine farm shortly before 10:30 this morning hoping to see a few good waves crashing against the rocks.
Though the rain was pelting down, the wind was relatively tame. D'Entremont said he saw gusts top out at 60 kp/h. “The storm passed by here, no problems around here. I didn't even see a tree down,” he said in his thick Acadian accent.

He said the community took warnings of this storm seriously and didn't take any chances. “We're used to the sea around here,” D'Entremont said.

He first started seeing rain squalls around 6 a.m., but they tapered off until about 7 a.m. when “there was a good puff of rain.” While the rain continues to sweep the area in sporadic waves, the area does not seem to be as hard hit as east of Yarmouth County.



Harold Richardson, Yarmouth's emergency response coordinator, said there is a difference of opinion at the moment between American and Canadian authorities as to whether the storm is still a Category 1 hurricane or a tropical storm.

“It's marginal, right on the line, but as far as I'm concerned, wind is wind,” Richardson said.

The Miami Hurricane Centre has downgraded Earl to a tropical storm while Environment Canada says it is still a hurricane.


U.S. hurricane services had downgraded Earl to a tropical storm late Friday night, but in Canada it's still considered a Category 1 hurricane.

Emergency measures officials had a conference call with provincial officials shortly before 7 a.m. and believe things are well in hand for southwestern Nova Scotia at the moment.