Metro Halifax can expect to see its highest winds between now and midday coming in from the south-east, say officials from Environment Canada’s Canadian Hurricane Center in Dartmouth.
Winds from Earl will then change to a south-westerly direction, but will not be as strong, said program supervisor Chris Fogarty in a 10 a.m. media teleconference. By the end of the day, Fogarty said, Halifax County will still be "breezy," but we could even see some sunny periods later this afternoon.
Fogarty said areas of Halifax County will likely see some tree and structural damage from the winds. He said Earl has remained a category 1 hurricane, despite being downgraded to a tropical storm by U.S. hurricane officials. Gusts are expected to reach 90 to 100 kilometres an hour.
The good news, however, is that Earl is moving through the province much quicker than anticipated and will not hang around as long, he said.
At 10:30 a.m. Earl was located southeast of Liverpool approaching the Lunenberg area.
Meanwhile, HRM’s Emergency Management Office (EMO) emergency operations centre continues to monitor hurricane Earl’s progression, and coordinate a response to weather conditions as Earl moves up the coastline.
The EMO asks residents not to call 911 for non-emergency situations, including inquiries into road closures, power outages, non-emergency tree falls, or other general information. General calls should be directed towards the HRM Call Centre at 490-4000. Tree crews are being dispatched on a priority basis, and will be working throughout the day to respond. ferry service is currently suspended. HRM buses are still operational at this time. Bridge traffic on the Mackay Bridge was closed to high-sided vehicles, but reopened around 3 p.m. Both the Macdonald Bridge pedway and walkway were closed, as well.
In the interest of public safety, the RCMP are currently keeping people out of provincial park beaches, and the main road into Peggy’s Cove has been closed to all but local traffic.
Road conditions continue to worsen. Halifax Regional Police are reporting hydro-planing conditions on Highway 102 near the Larry Uteck exchange, and urge drivers to avoid the area.
Additionally, RCMP have advised that Highway 207 near Lawrencetown Beach will be closed as water is cresting to the road.
Residents are once again urged to please stay off the roads and highways until further notified.
At this time, according to Nova Scotia Power, there are outages in pockets around HRM, numbering in the thousands. Residents are encouraged to contact Nova Scotia Power or visit their site at www.nspower.ca for a more detailed account of power outages in their area.
Residents are encouraged to visit both Environment Canada’s website and the Canadian Hurricane Centre for the latest tracking movements of Hurricane Earl. HRM’s most recent updates can be heard on 107.7 Information Radio, HRM’s official emergency broadcaster. They can also be found online at www.halifax.ca
