The arrival of hurricane Teddy is likely to be far more dangerous off the coast of Nova Scotia than for those on land, meteorologists with Environment Canada said on Sunday.
The storm is currently a Category-2 hurricane but will decrease in strength as it makes its way toward Atlantic Canada in the early part of this week, said Bob Robichaud, a warning preparedness meteorologist, in a technical call on Sunday.
Teddy will likely make landfall on Wednesday in Nova Scotia, although the province will begin feeling the storm’s effects on Tuesday as wind and rain pick up.
The final track is still uncertain with hurricane Teddy currently forecasted to arrive anywhere between Halifax and Cape Breton.
At this time there is a narrow band of rainfall that will accompany Teddy, Robichaud said.
Rain could come later on Tuesday into Wednesday with total rainfall estimated to be between 50 and 100 millimetres in the band.
Areas to the east and west of the band will be receiving less than that.
Robichaud said that assuming the storm lands on Nova Scotia, it’s likely that the strongest winds — which could be hurricane-force — will occur offshore.
There is likely to be broken twigs and some power outages in Nova Scotia but Robichaud said the winds are unlikely to be destructive and nowhere near as bad as hurricane Dorian, which brought down a crane in downtown Halifax in September 2019.
However, there will be large waves associated with the storm and a predicted storm surge of about half a metre.
Robichaud said it’s a safe bet that the storm will be far more dangerous for anyone at sea than for those on land.
New Brunswick and P.E.I. may see some rain and wind as a result of Teddy but the effects are unlikely to be anything compared to what Nova Scotia gets.
Robichaud says the forecast for Newfoundland and Labrador is much rosier as Teddy will decrease in power by the time it reaches that province.
It will likely be just another “gusty day” in Newfoundland and Labrador, he said.
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